City ‘back to normal’ after Mt. Kanlaon eruption

DUMAGUETE CITY – Life in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental has returned to normal after the June 3 eruption of Mt. Kanlaon.

“We are back to normal now and in the process of helping our people bounce back after the eruption of Kanlaon volcano,” Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas said Friday.

Cardenas thanked President Ferdinand r. Marcos Jr. who he said ordered national government agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to respond immediately to the needs of his constituents.

Part of the recovery phase, he said, is for the local government unit (LGU) to ensure that at least 12,000 to 14,000 families in Canlaon City will receive cash assistance, with 25 percent coming from special sectors like persons with disabilities and senior citizens.

The mayor said the funds will come from the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations program of DSWD.

Rollout will start on Monday, with beneficiaries receiving between PHP 3,000 and PHP10,000, Cardenas said.

Other sources for financial assistance include the programs of national government agencies such as the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD), Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong (AKAP) and Presidential Assistance for Farmers, Fishermen and their Families (PAFFF).

The President led the ceremonial distribution of PAFFF assistance on Thursday, handing a check of PHP50 million for Negros Oriental farmers and fisherfolk.

The mayor said he could not give exact figures of Canlaon beneficiaries included in the PAFFF assistance as the list needs to be validated.

Alert Level 2 remains hoisted over Mt. Kanlaon within the four to six-kilometer danger zone.

The LGU is now validating over 5,000 vegetable farmers and 3,226 rice farmers for assistance so they can recover their losses.

Cardenas said there is no food shortage in the city as DSWD had prepositioned more than 14,000 food packs. (PNA)