Due to a disaster, government work was suspended in a town in central Negros

In La Castellana, Negros Occidental state, where disasters are currently raging following the eruption of the Kanla volcano on Monday evening, work in government offices has been suspended indefinitely.

Mayor Rhummyla Nicor-Mangilimutan ordered the “suspension of work in all government offices and agencies, except those whose functions include the provision of essential services, disaster preparedness and response, and other vital services” in an order issued on Wednesday.

“To ensure the safety of employees, their families and the public, work in all government offices and agencies must be suspended,” she said.

Nicor-Mangilimutan also called for work in private organizations to be stopped at the discretion of the owners or authorities.

The mayor said six villages at the foot of Mount Kanlaon, including Sag-ang, Cabagnaan and Biaknabato, were the worst affected as the heavy ashfall damaged agricultural lands and fish ponds.

She added that all 13 barangays noticed the sulfurous smell after the volcanic eruption.

As of Tuesday evening, about 203 families with a total of 842 people were in various evacuation centers in La Castellana, according to data from the Provincial Office of Social Affairs and Development.

On Wednesday morning, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson met with Nicor-Mangilimutan at City Hall to learn about the situation of the affected residents and assess the adequacy of the relief measures provided by the provincial government.

In Negros Oriental, the Canlaon City Council passed a resolution on Tuesday afternoon declaring a state of calamity for the entire city.

“Being an agricultural town, this natural disaster seriously affects the economic living conditions of the people, especially farmers. Therefore, there is a need for the local government to take the necessary measures to manage and mitigate the effects of the volcanic eruption,” the resolution said.

Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas also announced on Tuesday the suspension of work in government and private offices as a precautionary and proactive measure following the eruption of the Kanlaon volcano.

Following the explosive eruption on Monday night, the Department of Science and Technology of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised the alert level of the active volcano from Alert Level 1 (abnormal) to Alert Level 2 (increasing unrest), meaning that “unrest is currently occurring caused by superficial magmatic processes that could eventually lead to more explosive eruptions or even precede dangerous magmatic eruptions.” (PNA)