OCD inspecting proposed Kanlaon resettlement sites

The Office of Civil Defense-Negros Island Region is inspecting the proposed sites for permanent evacuation centers and resettlement areas for residents displaced by Kanlaon Volcano in four local government units in Negros Occidental.

- By Glazyl Masculino

OCD-NIR Regional Director Donato Sermeno III said that they are in the midst of finalizing site selection in La Castellana, La Carlota City, Bago City, and San Carlos City.

Sermeno said San Carlos City did not initially express the need for relocation but after a recent meeting with the Technical Working Group and representatives of concerned LGUs, the city acknowledged its necessity.

As part of the proposal, they suggested the establishment of a permanent evacuation center for residents of Barangay Codcod.

Although Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are far from the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ), the city preferred permanent resettlement over temporary relocation.

Sermeno said the city proposed a 300-hectare site in Barangay Prosperidad for permanent evacuation and resettlement facilities.