Bacolod: Two local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental have undergone site inspections for possible inclusion of their proposed projects in the Kanlaon Recovery and Development Plan (KRDP).
According to Philippines News Agency, a report from the Office of Civil Defense-Negro Island Region (OCD-NIR) indicated that La Carlota City and Moises Padilla town are being considered following requests for risk and damage assessment as outlined in the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Memorandum No. 204, series of 2025.
OCD-NIR Regional Director Donato Sermeno III, who participated in the site inspections on September 5, stated that these efforts aim to support the development of the KRDP as mandated by the Office of the President's Administrative Order No. 32, which established the National Task Force Kanlaon (NTFK). The site inspections are in compliance with NDRRMC Memorandum No. 148, series of 2025, which calls for a comprehensive risk and damage assessment for the Regional TFK.
During the assessment in La Carlota City, the OCD-NIR team engaged with La Carlota City Water District general manager Homer Bermudo to discuss a proposal for restoring water supply to affected communities. The city's water supply has been severely impacted following explosive eruptions of Kanlaon Volcano on June 3, 2024, and December 9, 2024.
In Moises Padilla, Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo is advocating for the construction of a bridge along the overflow between Barangay 1 and Barangay Inolingan. The proposed bridge aims to facilitate efficient evacuation during disasters such as volcanic eruptions and improve the transport of agricultural produce. Mayor Garcia-Yulo expressed gratitude to Director Sermeno's team for their visit, highlighting the bridge as a highly anticipated project.
The NTFK is responsible for overseeing and coordinating government initiatives to mitigate the impact of Mt. Kanlaon's volcanic activities and expedite recovery and resilience-building in affected areas. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology downgraded the volcano's alert status from Alert Level 3 to Alert Level 2 on July 2, leading to the decampment of internally-displaced persons in La Carlota City, Bago City, and La Castellana town, who resided outside the four-kilometer permanent danger zone.
