By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD CITY – Mayor Nicolas Yulo of Bago City, Negros Occidental said the primary concern for evacuation in the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) around Kanlaon Volcano are not people but fighting cocks.
Yulo told reporters Monday that there are no actual residents in the six-kilometer PDZ, which includes areas in Barangays Mailum and Elihan.
“The truth is most of those in the six-kilometer PDZ are farm animals. Many people go there to tend their farms but do not necessarily reside in the area,” he said.
He emphasized the need to evacuate both the animals and their caretakers.
Yulo said they have sought permission from the Office of Civil Defense to allow farm caretakers to return temporarily and tend to their animals.
About 259 individuals, or 49 families, need evacuation from the danger zone, with some already relocated as of Saturday.
The mayor noted that evacuees staying in the city’s four evacuation centers include not only those from the PDZ but also residents of barangays affected by ashfall following the Dec. 9 eruption.
Yulo said all 24 barangays in Bago City were impacted by ashfall, but some residents cannot return to their homes due to the damage.
He explained that while areas in Barangays Mailum and Elihan are outside the six-kilometer PDZ, homes there sustained significant damage from ashfall.
“Some houses are no longer usable because of the ashfall. Those residents remain in evacuation centers since the Dec. 9 eruption,” Yulo said.
Currently, 113 families are housed in the city’s evacuation centers, he added.
Yulo expressed concern about sustaining support for the evacuees.
He said large animals will be relocated to the Ramon Torres Farm School and Maliguin Farm School.
The mayor added that most individuals inside the PDZ are tending to fighting cock farms, which are concentrated in a large area of Barangay Elihan.
“That is our problem because fighting cocks are expensive,” Yulo said.
He shared that one fighting cock farm alone has at least 300 birds.
“The weather in the area is cool, which is why fighting cock farms thrive there,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Bago City government declared a state of calamity in a resolution passed Monday by the City Council.
“In the aftermath of Kanlaon Volcano’s eruption on Dec. 9, our city has declared a state of calamity,” the city government announced on its official social media page.
The declaration will allow the city to access its Quick Response Fund (QRF), which will be used by the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) for necessary interventions.
Yulo said the city has P18 million in QRF, which will be fully utilized to address the needs of the evacuees.
