Bacolod City – Tourist sites outside the four-kilometer permanent danger zone of Kanlaon Volcano may now be opened for visitors.
The announcement was made on Tuesday by Donato Sermeno III, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) regional director for Negros Island Region, following the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology downgrade of the unrest status of Kanlaon Volcano from Alert Level 3 to Alert Level 2.
However, the tourist destination areas inside the permanent danger zone will remain closed, Sermeno said.
Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas has issued an executive order lifting the closure of tourism sites affected by the December 9 eruption of Kanlaon Volcano last year.
Cardenas, however, advised the strict adherence to updated safety guidelines, including restricted access to certain hazardous zones, and compliance with evacuation procedures, if necessary.
More than 4,000 internally displaced persons in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, and La Castellana, Negros Occidental, have returned home after the downgrade of the Kanlaon alert level status.
However, 61 families in La Castellana and 19 families in Canlaon City are still in evacuation centers, as they are prohibited by OCD to return to their homes which are located within the four-kilometer permanent danger zone.
The 61 families, composed of 225 IDPs, in La Carlota City, are scheduled to return home on August 14, after having stayed in the evacuation centers for more than eight months.
Sermeno said that the 22 families in Bago City will follow suit on Aug. 16.
The IDPs in cities of La Carlota and Bago were assured of aid by their respective LGUs, in the form of roofing materials for their damaged houses, and other forms of assistance.
During a meeting of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) on Aug. 11 in Bago City, Sermeno said the PAMB approved a resolution for the inclusion of the multiple use zone in La Castellana and Canlaon City, located within the 4-kilometer permanent danger zone, as part of the strict protection zone.
It was also decided that PAMB will have the final say as to which tourism activities will be allowed within the permanent danger zone, even if the alert level status is zero, he added.
As of Aug. 12, Alert Level 2 remains in effect at Kanlaon Volcano. (Gilbert Bayoran via tvds)