Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez recently said the city is willing to provide transportation support and all necessary assistance needed by the local governments in southern Negros Occidental that have been affected by the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon.
They will assess the situation there before they can determine what assistance is needed. The city is also willing to accommodate donations from private individuals and groups which may be coursed through the City Mayor’s Office or the Bacolod City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO), he said.
“We have made it a point to have an inventory of quick response supplies because we have been experiencing a lot of calamities lately. We have seen stronger typhoons and rains, as well as volcanic eruptions these past few years. So we have to be more resilient,” Benitez said.
He pointed out “That Bacolod City has been spared from the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon because the wind direction is going in the opposite direction. They have not received reports that Bacolod will be affected.”
However, the two regional evacuation centers have been prepared if the LGUs concerned need any assistance, Benitez added.
The CDRRMO has provided transportation assistance to personnel of the Department of Social Service and Development (DWSD) and the Department of Health (DOH) to help facilitate the delivery of essential food and non-food items to affected communities since Monday. (Chrysee Semillano via tvds)