1 month ago
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BACOLOD CITY — The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) has allowed farmers to harvest their crops even as Kanlaon Volcano remains restless, Donato Sermeno III, regional director for Negros Island Region, said Monday.
Sermeno said the local government of La Castellana requested the OCD to allow farmers to enter the volcano's 6-kilometer danger zone radius and harvest their sugarcane.
Sermeno said the farmers were given a "window time' to harvest their crops from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. under the supervision of the Regional Incident Management Team.
ON TOP OF SITUATION OCD Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno (left) meets with Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Lacson during his visit to assess the situation of the evacuees displaced by the recent eruption of Kanlaon Volcano. OCD PHOTO
The OCD said the supervised farming activities in the danger zone aimed "to balance the safety of evacuees with the need to sustain their livelihood, particularly during the harvest season."
Sermeno also said they allowed farmers to enter the no-man's land after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology gave an advisory that the carbon emissions from the volcano had reduced in the past few days.
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He said other localities affected by the danger zone, like La Carlota City and Bago City, could also request the Task Force to suspend the ban on human activities within the volcano's danger zone.
Sermeno, however, said he had no figures on how many farmers would enter the danger zone.
"We are now trying to improve the system. We are focusing now on ensuring that the farmers are safe in case Kanlaon erupts again," he said.
Hermeno added that not all who wanted to harvest their crops were inside the 6-kilometer danger zone of Kanlaon Volcano."
Strict monitoring and coordination are in place to ensure the safety of farmers while they conduct their activities," Sermeno said.
An official from the Department of Agriculture (DA), meanwhile, said on Monday that the ongoing unrest of Mount Kanlaon threatens to impact at least 16,000 farmers from five localities across Negros Island.
DA Regional Executive Director Albert Barogo said the eruption of Kanlaon on Dec. 9, 2024, has affected 7,171 farmers from Canlaon City in Negros Oriental and 8,841 from La Carlota City, La Castellana, Bago City, and Murcia in Negros Occidental.
"The data is validated by the different local government units," Barogo said.
24-hour communication
Meanwhile, OCD administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno called for effective regular 24-hour communication measures with all the local leaders around Mount Kanlaon, which is presently under Alert Level 3.
Accompanied by key officials, Nepomuceno met with local leaders, including Canlaon City Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas and Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, last week to discuss the safety measures and the heightened risks associated with the volcano's activity.
"The OCD has been in touch with our local leaders since last December's eruption, and we are monitoring the situation daily. We always make sure that proper communication is being implemented from the situation of evacuees to the affected areas," Nepomuceno said.
"The threat is still there in many areas. That's why we encourage everyone to be proactive and maintain a high level of focus on their safety and well-being. We must absolutely ensure the safety of everyone by providing the people's needs. We also assessed the situation of the evacuees," he added.
During his visit, Nepomuceno acknowledged the emotional and practical challenges faced by displaced families and reaffirmed the national government's commitment under the leadership of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to providing necessary support and resources.
