Internally displaced persons (IDPs) affected by the continuing activity of Kanlaon Volcano engage in different livelihood opportunities to earn a living.
From making molo balls and rags to selling street food and farm produce, the IDPs continue making their time at the camps productive to earn some amount for their family’s other necessities, as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the local government units (LGUs) provide their primary needs.
Farmer Reynaldo Domingo from Barangay Ara-al has opted to help his family sell their agricultural products at the La Carlota City Permanent Evacuation Center, where they have been staying since the eruption of Kanlaon last December.
“Cassava and ginger give us livelihood. We plant any vegetable and anything else that we can to earn and sustain our daily needs,” Domingo said in the local language, Hiligaynon.
Other fruits and vegetables at their family’s stall include different varieties of banana, star apple or kaimito, melon, papaya, avocado, and chayote or sayote, with customers being fellow IDPs and government personnel stationed at the camp.
They even make and sell native vinegar called “sinamak”.
However, with the recent emission activities that produced voluminous ash affecting several communities, Domingo is concerned about their plants dying and farm animals getting ill due to ashfall.
While he is worried about what to sell next, Domingo expressed optimism that they can plant again soon and harvest a bounty.
With the hardships they face, his only prayers this Lent are for his family to be safe and for the volcano to finally calm down, saying they have been longing to return to their lives before Kanlaon displayed nature’s power.
“We are generously praying that Mount Kanlaon’s activities will subside soon,” Domingo said.
Meanwhile, with the help of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the local Public Employment Service Office (PESO) and the City Social Welfare and Development Office (SWDO), other IDPs in La Carlota City underwent livelihood skills training in chorizo and pancit molo-making, as well as rug, pillow case and pot holder-making.
Molo balls are sold at P45-P50 per pack of twelve pieces, floor rugs at P50 each, and pot holders at P15-P20 per piece – which seems a small price but goes a long way for the IDPs.
The Kanlaon crisis has put a strain on their livelihood and employment, yet IDPs strive to find alternative sources of income to help fend for themselves on top of the support the local and national governments have been providing.
Soon, IDPs in different local government units will receive additional support after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved the P63 million aid intended for the Kanlaon response.
La Carlota City DRRM Officer Dr. Junnie Martin Torrefranca welcomed this development, saying the financial assistance from the Office of the President would be used primarily for food, water, and medicines for the affected population.
Part of the budget will also be allocated for the expansion of facilities, such as kitchens and bathrooms, at the evacuation centers many Negrosanon IDPs now consider their home away from home.
Four months have passed since the explosive eruption on December 9, 2024, which prompted the evacuation of thousands – leaving behind their properties, employment, and livelihood – but local and national governments continue working tirelessly to this day to ensure that IDPs are well taken care of at the camps.
While long-term and sustainable solutions to the hazards posed by Kanlaon Volcano are being carefully planned for, government authorities seek the public’s support and cooperation, with which response and redevelopment efforts can seamlessly move forward.
After all, it is through the active participation of all stakeholders that affected communities can rise and start over again in any circumstance and calamity. (AGP/BPS/PIA Negros Occidental)
