Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) sheltered in evacuation centers of Canlaon City have set up community kitchens in their camps to maximize the use of the supplies provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 7 – Central Visayas in response to the Alert Level 3 Mt. Kanlaon eruption on December 9.

IDPs in Camp 9 at Linothangan Elementary School have started cooking meals using the supplies distributed by DSWD-7 in their community kitchen to cater to families camped in the evacuation center.

According to Noel Morte, one of the IDPs and beneficiaries of the Family Food Packs (FFPs), they volunteered to cook for IDPs sheltered in Camp 2 at Jose B. Cardenas Memorial High School – Uptown Campus as a way of helping the community.

“Nagkasinabot ra mi tanan. Kami ang nagluto para sa pagkaon nila, 700 kapin jud ang amoa gilutuan so naa ra mi pirmente sa kusina. Akoa ra ni kabubut-on sa pagtabang, naa man akoa pamilya og mga igsuon tanan, wala man nagluto dire so ako automatic kami nagluto dire sa area (We all agreed on it. We cook for over 700 people. So we are always in the kitchen. This is just my will to help because my family and siblings are all here, and no one else is cooking, so automatically, we are cooking in this area),” said Morte, a 40-year-old IDP from Brgy. Pula, Canlaon City, settled at Camp 2 in Jose B. Cardenas Memorial High School Uptown Campus.

Moreover, Morte expressed that such an initiative ignited their spirit of ‘bayanihan’ in these trying times.

“Wala man jud ko kasulay na daghan ang lutuan. Karon lang ko nakasulay ani, nindot diay, naa diay ang kasadya dire sa evacuation center nga magkausa, magsinabtangay, og para makaluto para sa tanan (I’ve never really experienced cooking for so many people. It’s only now that I’ve experienced it, and it’s good. There’s joy here in the evacuation center, where everyone comes together, cooperates, and works together to cook for everyone),” Morte said.

DSWD 7 Quick Response Team Vice Chairperson Tonyson Luther Lee stated that the community kitchen is a collaborative effort between IDPs, the Local Government Unit (LGU), and DSWD and will make efficient use of the goods provided by the department while also minimizing the risk of fire hazards.

“This effort between the community, LGU, and DSWD exemplifies the spirit of cooperation and resourcefulness. It not only ensures the efficient use of the goods provided by the department but also prioritizes the safety of families by reducing the risk of fire hazards associated with individual cooking,” said Lee.

Meanwhile, DSWD 7 Regional Director Shalaine Lucero stated that DSWD has already heightened its disaster response to the affected families of Mt. Kanlaon eruption by providing supplies that will last twenty days.

“The department has taken proactive measures to ensure that IDPs in the Evacuation Centers will have supplies that last for 20 days. Moreover, we are also ready to give more assistance if the operation is extended,” Lucero assured.

Each FFP contains six (6) kilos of rice, four (4) canned sardines, four (4) canned corned beef, two (2) canned tuna, five (5) sachets of cereals, and five (5) sachets of coffee.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PhiVolcs) raised the status of Mt. Kanlaon Volcano to Alert Level 3 after its eruption on December 9. ###

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