The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has disbursed a total of PHP94.861 million in humanitarian aid to those displaced by the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon on Negros Island. This assistance, which began following the eruption on December 9, 2024, has been crucial for the affected communities in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental.
According to the DSWD’s Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC), the aid distributed includes PHP56.594 million to Negros Occidental and PHP38.266 million to Negros Oriental. The aid encompasses food, non-food items, and financial support to help the affected families recover.
In Negros Occidental, the distribution breakdown shows La Castellana receiving PHP36.975 million, La Carlota City PHP11.911 million, Bago City PHP4.847 million, Murcia PHP1.482 million, Pontevedra PHP1.216 million, and San Carlos City PHP161,530. In Negros Oriental, Canlaon City, the only affected area, received PHP38.266 million.
The total aid provided to the victims amounts to PHP153.483 million, with additional contributions from local government units (PHP16.814 million), non-government organizations (PHP33.351 million), and other partners (PHP8.456 million).
As of February 18, 2025, the DROMIC report indicates that 2,684 families, totaling 8,552 individuals, are still residing in 22 evacuation centers. In Negros Occidental, 1,768 families or 5,631 people from Bago, La Carlota, San Carlos, and La Castellana are sheltered. La Castellana alone hosts 1,362 families or 4,264 individuals. In Negros Oriental, 916 families or 2,921 people are housed in evacuation centers in Canlaon City.
The Kanlaon Volcano remains at Alert Level 3, indicating ongoing magmatic unrest that could lead to further ash emissions or explosive eruptions, posing significant risks to the local population.