The feeding program for Kanlaon evacuees has ended.

BACOLOD CITY – On Monday, Jan. 6, the province government of Negros Occidental stopped its 14-day food program for thousands of people affected by the Kanlaon Volcano eruption, as well as volunteers, peacekeepers, and social workers in several evacuation camps.

Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz stated that during their most recent meeting with the Office of Civil Defense, the mayors of La Castellana, Bago, and La Carlota agreed that the provincial government will only subsidize the food of evacuees and personnel in evacuation centers for two weeks.

“We did it already. We complied and succeeded,” Diaz said, adding that evacuees had been nutritionally supplied and were satisfied with their meals in the previous two weeks.

Diaz stated that funding was supposed to cover roughly 8,000 evacuees, but the provincial government included personnel in the evacuation camps, benefiting a total of about 10,000 people.

He said that the three local governments will now be in charge of providing food to the evacuees.

Diaz stated that LGUs may now use their funding for this year to offer food to evacuees through the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

He stated that the province’s communal kitchens will continue to operate at evacuation centers, but they will be maintained by local governments. He clarified that the province will only give cooking equipment and gas.

The OCD said that the Dec. 9 Kanlaon eruption in Regions 6 (Western Visayas) and 7 (Central Visayas) affected a total of 12,223 families or 46,781 individuals.

Bago City has seven evacuation locations, whereas La Castellana has nine. La Carlota City has five. Canlaon City in Negros Oriental contains ten evacuation camps.