La castellana: The local government unit (LGU) and the incident management team (IMT) of La Castellana in Negros Occidental are examining the unauthorized decampment of at least 33 families, totaling 89 individuals, who were affected by the unrest of Mt. Kanlaon.
According to Philippines News Agency, the LGU reported that certain individuals persuaded the internally displaced persons (IDPs) to return to their homes in Barangay Cabagna-an without official approval. A video uploaded on Facebook depicted a group of IDPs, who had been residing at La Castellana National High School (LCNHS)-Senior High School evacuation center, boarding a truck with their personal belongings. In the video, the speaker in Hiligaynon stated that the IDPs chose to go home on their own due to difficulties in continuing to stay in the tents, emphasizing that they cannot be compelled to stay if they wish to leave.
In reaction to this situation, Mayor A±ejo Nicor organized an emergency meeting with town police chief and IMT commander Maj. Rhojn Darell Nigos, relevant barangay officials, and personnel from the Office of Civil Defense-Negros Island Region. Following the meeting, the municipal government issued a Facebook appeal for the IDPs to return to the evacuation center, specifying that visits to their homes are permitted from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Furthermore, the municipal government addressed the individuals who encouraged the IDPs from Barangay Cabagna-an to return home and urged them to remove the video from Facebook. The LGU requested the person who filmed and posted the video to submit a written explanation or appear before the IMT or Punong Barangay Bon Sacapa±o within 24 hours.
With classes set to begin on June 16, most IDPs residing in school-based evacuation centers had been relocated to other shelters. The IDPs from Barangay Cabagna-an were moved to tent shelters established in the school covered court and the adjacent vacant lot of the LCNHS Senior High School campus.
Kanlaon Volcano on Negros Island has remained under Alert Level 3 since its explosive eruption on December 9, signaling that a 'magmatic eruption has begun and may progress to further explosive eruptions.' This situation necessitated the evacuation of residents within the extended 6-kilometer danger zone, including those from Barangay Cabagna-an. La Castellana in Negros Occidental has been the most severely affected LGU, with over 3,000 persons from at least five barangays still residing in evacuation centers.
