By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Responding quickly to the dire situation in Negros island due to the sudden eruption of Kanlaon volcano, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has provided humanitarian assistance worth P758,070 to affected families.

Maharlika NuMedia gathered that Mount Kanlaon has erupted 30 times since 1819, with an unforgettable incident on August 10, 1996 when 24 mountain climbers hiked the volcano and it erupted without warning, killing British student Julian Green and Filipinos Jamrain Tragico and Neil Perez, who were trapped near the summit close to the crater.

According to local legend, there was a couple named Kang and Laon, who eloped after their warring chieftain fathers tried to keep them apart. They were captured and died in the wilderness, and from their deathbed, a volcano emerged which is now known as Kanlaon Volcano.

“Through DSWD Field Offices-6 (Western Visayas) and 7 (Central Visayas), the Department provided P611,980 in aid to Negros Occidental and P146,090 to Negros Oriental,” DSWD Assistant Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) and the agency’s spokesperson Irene Dumlao said on Wednesday (5 June 2024).

She added that the assistance given to date includes family food packs (FFPs) and non-food items such as family kits and sleeping kits.

In line with the DSWD’s mandate as the head of the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster, the agency is also assisting concerned local government units (LGUs) in monitoring the condition of the 426 families or 1,414 persons currently taking temporary shelter in 11 evacuation centers in the two provinces, Dumlao further said.

The DSWD and concerned localities have also established child-and women-friendly spaces to protect children, nursing mothers and pregnant evacuees.

“Due to the heightened vulnerability of children during disasters, such as the recent Mt. Kanlaon volcanic eruption, child-friendly and women-friendly spaces were set up to enhance their resilience against the negative effects of emergency situations on their well-being,” Dumlao pointed out.

“These spaces offer activities such as psychosocial counseling, games, educational activities, art therapy sessions, and supplementary feeding, among others,” the DSWD spokesperson added.

The establishment of child- and women- friendly spaces during disasters is aligned with Republic Act No. 10821, known as the Children’s Emergency Relief and Protection Act.

(el Amigo/mnm)