DepEd softens stance, allows thousands of Kanlaon evacuees to sleep in classrooms

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The softened position is a shift from an earlier order that required 4,048 evacuees to vacate school buildings they had occupied since the December 2024 eruption of Kanlaon Volcano

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – Under mounting pressure from displaced families and appeals from local officials, education officials in the Negros Island Region softened their earlier stance and agreed to let Kanlaon Volcano evacuees spend the night in public school classrooms.

The Department of Education-Negros Island Region (DepEd-NIR) announced the compromise on Wednesday, June 18, after days of tension over the removal of thousands of evacuees from public schools.

But the evacuees must vacate and clean the classrooms between 4 am and 5 am daily to allow regular classes to resume, and may return only after 5 pm.

SETTING UP. Kanlaon evacuees set up tents at a covered court in Barangay Poso, La Castellana, Negros Occidental, as temporary shelter for their families. La Castellana PIO

Making sure that classes are not disrupted, while evacuees still have a place to stay at night was a win-win arrangement, said lawyer Jasper Tuala, DepEd-NIR supervising administrative officer, during a news conference in Bacolod City.

The decision was the consensus of a group that included DepEd-NIR Director Ramir Uytico after consultations with La Castellana local officials. 

The softened position was a shift from an earlier order on June 14 and 15 that required 4,048 evacuees to vacate school buildings they had occupied since the December 2024 eruption. 

Families from communities within a six-kilometer radius permanent danger zone in barangays Sag-ang, Biak Na Bato, Masulog, and Mansalanao have since moved to makeshift shelters and tents in covered courts and on open spaces.

Officials acknowledged that the present situation remained precarious and they were doing what they could despite limited resources.

Donato Sermeno III, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) regional director, said they were working to improve water access at the Himamaylan “tent city,” some 50 kilometers away from La Castellana, and plans to provide evacuees solar-powered lighting.

He said the government was addressing problems related to worn-out and leaking tents. 

Brigadier General Ted Dumosmog, commander of the Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade, said the military has shifted its focus to Kanlaon response operations. 

“Elections are over so we focus now on Kanlaon matters,” he said. 

Over 1,000 military and police personnel were prepared to respond, with the 542nd Engineering Battalion on hand for rescue and evacuation operations, he said.

Dumosmog said the military is prepared to evacuate more than 100,000 people if the volcano’s alert level is raised to 4.

Sermeno, meanwhile, noted that present designated evacuation sites can only accommodate about 48,000 people. If conditions worsen, schools across Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental may still be used as evacuation shelters despite the ongoing school year, he said.

In the event Alert Level 4 is raised, Tuala said DepEd-NIR will activate its learning continuity plan to ensure that education continues for affected students, even outside of traditional classroom settings. – Rappler.com