New Relocation Site Eyed for La Castellana Volcano Evacuees

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY – La Castellana Mayor Alme Rhummyla Nicor-Mangilimutan said the proposed relocation site for residents displaced by the Kanlaon Volcano eruption was disapproved by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.

Mangilimutan told reporters over the weekend that the land offered by the local government was located next to the town’s sanitary landfill.

She said the MGB requires at least 250 meters of distance from the landfill boundary to issue an Environmental Compliance Certificate, which the proposed site did not meet.

The mayor said the LGU is now scouting new locations and is considering three areas.

The identified sites are in Barangays Talaptap, Robles and Lalagsan, all 16 to 18 kilometers from the crater of Kanlaon Volcano.

She said she has already informed Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson of the development.

Mangilimutan added that the provincial government has allocated PHP14 million for the relocation site’s development.

She stressed the LGU must secure additional funding to establish the relocation site.

“I have to be frank—the LGU has no more resources for that,” she said.

The mayor explained that last year, the town had a PHP21 million surplus intended for projects such as improving the town plaza and building a children’s park.

However, the funds were redirected to assist evacuees after Kanlaon’s eruption in June 2024.

Mangilimutan said her current term has been particularly difficult, citing two years of COVID-19, a typhoon and now the volcanic unrest.

She lamented that national government assistance has been limited to food packs and essential items.

Meanwhile, in an advisory issued Friday, PHIVOLCS recorded five ash emission events lasting between 17 and 102 minutes and producing plumes up to 600 meters high.

The agency also logged 22 volcanic earthquakes, including six volcanic tremors.

Kanlaon Volcano remains under Alert Level 3, indicating a high level of volcanic unrest.