Negros town loses P194M to blast, drought

ACTIVE VOLCANO. A scene from the time-lapse footage of ash emission from the Mt. Kanlaon summit crater on Sunday (Nov. 17, 2024).  PHOTO: Official Facebook page of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology

BACOLOD CITY — More than 1,600 farmers and fishermen in La Castellana town, Negros Occidental, lost at least P194 million from the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon and the drought due to the El Niño weather phenomenon that affected the province in the first half of 2024.

La Castellana Mayor Rhummyla Nicor Mangilimutan said most of the farmers affected by these calamities were from Barangays Masulog, Biak na Bato, Cabagna-an, Mansalanao, Sag-ang, Cabacungan, Maghanoy, and Camandag.

READ: P68 million in crops, fisheries ruined by Kanlaon blast

Crop damage was pegged at P191 million; fisheries, P947,000; and livestock, P2.1 million.

The drought first hit La Castellana and other parts of Negros Occidental early this year before Mt. Kanlaon erupted on June 3.

Mangilimutan said the municipal government was designating a 1.7-hectare government property as a permanent relocation site for residents who have been asked to leave their communities within the volcano’s 4-kilometer permanent danger zone and for the construction of an evacuation center. —CARLA P. GOMEZ 

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