Canlaon City: A total of 1,455 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental are set to receive this week cash assistance from the government through the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program, an official said Monday.

According to Philippines News Agency, Edna Lhou Masicampo, Canlaon City information officer-designate, stated that the IDPs include individuals who have ‘rendered services for 10 days cleaning evacuation centers.’ The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will distribute PHP5,000 each to the IDPs during a payout this week.

A second batch of around 600 IDPs, currently staying with relatives outside the evacuation centers, will also be enrolled in the TUPAD program. However, Masicampo noted that they still need to undergo orientation.

The TUPAD financial assistance aims to support evacuees with their daily needs after they were forcibly evacuated from their homes located within the 6-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone following the Dec. 9 eruption of Mt. Kanlaon. Masicampo highlighted that the lives of the IDPs have been significantly affected by the forced evacuation as they cannot yet return to their homes and farms.

Some evacuees are given day-time passes to visit their farms but must return to the evacuation centers or their temporary residences before sundown. The local government unit is exploring ways to assist the IDPs in coping with the impact of the volcanic eruption, such as short-term livelihood training by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

Currently, 879 families, or 2,800 individuals, are staying at eight evacuation centers, while 1,006 families, or 3,237 individuals, are temporarily residing with relatives outside of the evacuation centers, Masicampo reported.

Meanwhile, senior citizens, daycare workers, and other sectoral workers in the city received incentives from the local government last Saturday. Masicampo mentioned that 64 accredited daycare workers received PHP4,000 each, 45 barangay population development officers received PHP8,000 each, and 45 senior citizens recently qualified for the social pension received PHP3,000 each. Canlaon Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas led the distribution of the incentives, with the assistance for the senior citizens taken from the provincial social program from July to December 2024.