THE Davao City government has allocated P300,000 in cash assistance to the Municipality of La Castellana, Negros Occidental, which has been placed under a state of calamity following the eruption of Mount Kanlaon.
Councilor Myrna Dalodo-Ortiz, chairperson of the Committee on Finance, Ways, and Means, said her office received a certificate of urgency and necessity to fast-track the passage of an ordinance allowing the use of the city’s Quick Response Fund (QRF) for 2025.
“This assistance is for the Municipality of La Castellana, Province of Negros Occidental due to the volcanic eruption of Mount Kanlaon,” she said during the city council session on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
She said the extensive damage prompted the Davao LGU to extend financial aid to areas officially declared under a state of calamity.
The Local Sangguniang Bayan of La Castellana earlier issued Resolution 2024-079, placing the municipality under a state of calamity due to the volcano’s eruption.
Ortiz noted that the P300,000 aid follows the guidelines by Local Finance Committee Resolution 2020-01, which determines financial assistance rates for calamity-stricken areas.
The Davao City Council approved the resolution and ordinance, authorizing Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte to allocate a portion of the 30 percent QRF from the city's 5% Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund for 2025.
Negros Occidental declared a state of calamity on December 9, 2024, after the Mount Kanlaon eruption displaced numerous residents. According to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC), the eruption affected Bago City, La Carlota City, and the municipalities of La Castellana, Moises Padilla, Pontevedra, Valladolid, San Enrique, Hinigaran, and Binalbagan.
Previously, on January 28, 2025, the Davao City Council also approved P3.8 million in calamity assistance for heavily affected areas, including the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, Canlaon City, La Carlota City, Bago City, and the Municipality of Vallehermoso. La Castellana, however, was not included in that earlier allocation. RGP WITH REPORTS FROM PNA