The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has mobilized PHP2.782 billion in standby funds and relief supplies to address the ongoing threat posed by the potential eruption of Mt. Kanlaon on Negros Island. This preparation was detailed in a report released on February 12 by the DSWD’s Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC).
The inventory includes PHP45.676 million in standby funds, PHP1.715 billion worth of family food packs (FFPs), and PHP1.021 billion in other food and non-food items (FNIs). The DROMIC report highlighted that Mt. Kanlaon remains at Alert Level 3, indicating a heightened risk of sudden and powerful eruptions that could pose life-threatening hazards to nearby communities.
Following the explosive eruption on December 9, 2,760 families, totaling 8,803 individuals, have sought refuge in 23 evacuation centers. The most affected areas include Bago, La Carlota, San Carlos, and La Castellana in Negros Occidental, with La Castellana being the hardest hit, accommodating 1,362 families or 4,264 people. In Negros Oriental, 991 families or 3,167 individuals are sheltered in Canlaon City.
The standby funds are distributed across various DSWD offices, with PHP3.3 million at the Central Office, PHP3 million at the DSWD-Western Visayas, and PHP39.37 million in other field offices, ready to support the relief efforts through inter-office augmentation.
The relief supplies consist of 452,138 FFPs stored in disaster response centers, with 218,156 FFPs at the National Resource Operations Center in Pasay City and 233,982 FFPs at the Visayas Disaster Resource Center in Mandaue City. Additionally, 272,450 FFPs are available at DSWD field offices in Western and Central Visayas, with another 1,615,159 FFPs in other DSWD field offices. The PHP1.021 billion worth of other NFIs are also distributed across the National Resource Operations Center, Visayas Disaster Resource Center, and DSWD field office warehouses.
As of February 12, the DROMIC report indicates that PHP149.999 million in assistance has been provided to the affected families, with contributions from the DSWD amounting to PHP9.439 million, local government units contributing PHP16.412 million, non-government organizations providing PHP32.691 million, and other partners contributing PHP8.456 million.