Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian flew to Negros Island on Tuesday to check on the situation of evacuees in the cities of Bago and La Carlota and the municipality of La Castellana following the eruption of Kanlaon Volacano on Monday.

DSWD Field Office (FO) 6 – Western Visayas Regional Director Arwin Razo earlier reported to Secretary Gatchalian that La Castellana has the most evacuees, as its residents were within the six-kilometer radius declared a danger zone by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).

“Per feedback, Sec, families were evacuated, especially in high areas and communities of Negros Occidental, particularly in the cities of La Carlota and Bago and La Castellana town. Wala pong recorded another eruption,” FO-6 Director Razo told the DSWD chief.

DSWD Field Office 7 – Central Visayas Regional Director Shalaine Sun-Lucero reported that, on the side of Canlaon City in Negros Oriental, 50 families are currently staying in two evacuation centers following the eruption of Kanlaon Volcano.

The DSWD’s Visayas Disaster Resource Center (VDRC) in Mandaue City, Cebu, is now busy producing 5,000 family food packs (FFPs) bound for Negros Oriental.

These will serve as additional stockpiles to the prepositioned FFPs in the Guihulngan Warehouse in Negros Oriental, which FO-7 manages.