In response to the ongoing unrest caused by Mt. Kanlaon’s activity, Canlaon City has taken decisive action against livestock traders exploiting evacuees. Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas announced a ban on these traders after a meeting with internally displaced persons (IDPs) who reported being coerced into selling their livestock at significantly reduced prices. The traders, known as ‘compradors,’ were found intercepting farmers at border checkpoints, bypassing official stockyards and auction markets. This exploitation came to light when IDPs were briefly allowed back into the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone to tend to their farms, only to be met by traders at the borders. The fear of a potential major eruption forced these farmers to accept lower prices for their livestock, with cows valued at PHP 35,000 to PHP 40,000 being sold for PHP 25,000, and goats worth PHP 6,000 sold for PHP 3,000. Mayor Cardenas has instructed local police and the municipal agriculture office to investigate and identify the traders involved. Additionally, Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno of the Office of Civil Defense has urged the city to expedite the construction of a dedicated evacuation center to better accommodate the displaced population, currently spread across eight evacuation centers and with relatives outside the danger zone. The proposed center’s construction would require support from the provincial government due to the high costs involved.
