Biboy Caguro, a farmer from the town of La Castellana, looking at Mount Kanlaon as he rests after preparing his rice field for planting. Denver Godezano, ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- Kristine Rabaca was in La Castellana National High School in Cabagnaan when she and her classmates heard a loud rumbling noise from the ground. Within minutes, Mount Kanlaon erupted.

Fear gripped her, and she cried, as did her classmates whose families lived at the foot of the volcano.

“Sobrang takot ko po talaga noon kasi malayo po ako kay Mama. Pinakalma lang po kami noon na guro po namin noon eh. Nag-iyakan na lang po kaming lahat na magkaklase dahil sa sobrang takot, akala po namin aano po [dadaloy] yung lahar po [sa mga bahay namin],” said Kristine.

(I was truly terrified, being away from my mom. Our teacher tried to calm us, but we all cried from fear. We thought the lahar would bury our houses.)

The lahar did not engulf their homes. But since then, her life has changed.

Together with 1085 individuals, she lived in an evacuation center 11 miles away from home, as the government mandated the forced evacuation of nearly 39,000 residents from different towns and cities across Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental who reside within the four to six kilometer radius of the volcano.

One of those towns is La Castellana, whose more than 4,000 residents from the upland villages of Biak na Bato, Cabagnaan, Masulog, Mansalanao, and Sag-Ang have been displaced and in evacuation centers for two months now.

Kristine Rabaca helps her brother to change clothes after arriving from school. Denver Godezano, ABS-CBN News

“Masakit na masakit sir… kasi yung pag-uwi mo doon [sa Sitio Old Fabrica], zero talaga eh, magsisimula ka na naman talaga sa simula, yung para dibang naka-akyat ka na, babalik ka na naman sa baba, para paakyat na naman uli, magsimula na naman po,” said Mojen Rabaca, mother of Kristine.

(It's incredibly painful, sir... because going back there [to Sitio Old Fabrica] means everything's gone. You have to start completely over. It's like you've reached the top, only to be pushed back down, forcing you to climb all over again, to begin anew.)

The last time she went back to the mountain for a restricted visit, ashes and rust had damaged the roofs of their home, fundamentally leaving them no home to return to.

However, the question of when they will return home is still uncertain, as Mount Kanlaon has remained active for the past weeks amid intensified unrest.

As of writing, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported that Kanlaon Volcano is at Alert Level 3. Hence, they are still not allowed to go back home as per the authorities.

Loss of Livelihood

After moving to evacuation centers, around 2000 farmers from La Castellana who lived near the volcano lost their livelihood. The local government reported damage to agriculture and livestock reaching 15 million pesos, hurting the economy as agriculture is one of their citizens’ primary sources of income.

Farmlands within the six-kilometer extended danger zone of the volcano were restricted for farmers. The local government only allowed them to harvest what was left of the previous plantation. However, under a signed waiver, some were allowed to farm their land during the day but needed to return to their evacuation center before dawn.

Biboy Caguro, 29, a resident of Sitio Mananawin in Barangay Masulog, took the risk of farming with the stark reminder of the Kanlaon’s danger in front of him. With no livelihood in the evacuation center, he’s forced to do this for his family’s daily expenses.

Biboy risks farming, amid the imminent danger posed by Mount Kanlaon. Denver Godezano, ABS-CBN News

"Mga 6 a.m. nagsasaka punta na rito tapos mga 4 p.m. babalik sa evacuation center," said Biboy.

(I head to the fields around 6 a.m. and then go back to the evacuation center around 4 p.m.)

Even with free meals provided by the local and provincial government in the evacuation centers, displaced families still need additional finances for their daily needs and allowance to support their children’s education.

“Dito yung sa pagkain walang problema, yung pinakamahirap sa amin yung mga pangangailangan namin yung mga personal needs, yung iba nga binenta yung hayop sa mababang presyo para diba support sa pangangailangan nila,” said Mojen.

(Food isn't an issue here. What we're struggling with most are our personal needs. Some have even been forced to sell their livestock at very low prices, just to meet those necessities.)

Some farmers had already sold their animals for cheap prices just to support their families, but not for Marcelino Cartalla, a resident of Biak na Bato.

He considered his carabao, “Aw-Aw,” a partner in raising his family. Once everything went back to normal, “Aw-Aw” is a dependable helper in farming crops back on his land.

“Nahihirapan, pero kahit ano hindi ko ito ibenta diyan [kalabaw], kapag nag-aarado ako ‘yan ang ginagamit ko. Kung wala kang kalabaw dito, kung mag-project ka, magtanim, kawawa ka.” Marcelino said.

(I am struggling, but I'd never sell my carabao. This is what I use when I till the land. Without a carabao here, you're helpless if you want to do anything, like plant crops.)

Marcelino checks on his carabao after its bath in a nearby creek. Denver Godezano, ABS-CBN News

However, he is worried for his carabao’s health as food for ruminant livestock is scarce near the evacuation center.

“Dito mahirap [sa evacuation center], pumapayat na yung kalabaw, isang taon [gulang] pa lang ito [kalabaw], kawawa.” Marcelino said.

(Life is difficult here in the evacuation center. The carabao is losing weight. And this carabao is just a year old, it's so sad.)

Education Crisis

Charmille, a grade ten student from Cabacungan National High School in Masulog, misses the life she knew in their upland community and the fun she had with her classmates.

“Ang saya sir kasi nandoon ang mga classmate namo, malungkot sir kay diri namo makita ang samong classmate,” said Charmille.

(It's fun, sir, because our classmates are there. It's sad, sir, because we can't see our classmates here)

Living in a tent for two months now, Charmille and the other children inside the evacuation center faced hurdles in learning. 

Like other students, Charmille takes temporary learning sessions in makeshift classrooms provided by the Department of Education in Negros Occidental to continue their education.

A makeshift classroom. Denver Godezano, ABS-CBN News

“Hindi okay sir kay hindi kami ano sa sulat ba, waray lamesa, hindi matarom ta laen laen ang maestra,” she said.

(It's difficult, sir, because we can't study properly. We don't have tables, things are disorganized, and we keep getting different teachers.)

Several times a week, face-to-face classes were held in evacuation centers and tents, with different teachers taking turns. 

The rest of the week, they either hold it online or asynchronously, through modules prepared by teachers left in schools.

This setup has been challenging for students like Kristine, who cannot focus during online classes in crowded rooms shared with other evacuees.

“Dito po Tuesday lang po yung schedule namin, then online class na po kami. Minsan po walang signal, hindi ka po makatutok sa pag-aaral,” said Kristine.

(Here, our schedule is only Tuesdays; then, we have online classes on other days. Sometimes there's no cellular signal, so you can't focus on your studies.)

One of the visiting teachers in this evacuation center, Rejoy Liquez, admitted to the challenges they face, such as a lack of conducive classrooms and materials for teaching.

A teacher from an upland village conducts classes in a tent provided by the goverment, to continue the education of students affected by the eruption of Mount Kanlaon. Denver Godezano, ABS-CBN News

“Mahirap po kasi wala po kaming proper classroom saka meron po silang pinagdadaanan. Hindi kumpleto yung gamit nila dito and hindi po rin po araw araw matutugunan yung kanilang educational needs,” said Liquez.

(It's difficult because we don't have a proper classroom, and they're going through a lot. Their supplies aren't complete here, and their educational needs can't be met every day.)

Melanie Tambiga, a junior high school teacher, shared the same struggles with her students as she is also an evacuee and still adjusting to their current situation.

“Hindi lang po mga estudyante ang apektado pati mga guro. Isa rin po ako doon sa nakatira [sa evacuation center] kaya nag-aadjust po. Lumalaban kahit mahirap, nagtuturo po kami sa kahit anong paraan para mabigyan po namin sila ng konting kaalaman kahit mahirap.” Melanie said.

(It's tough for everyone, not just the students, but us teachers too. I'm living here, so I know firsthand what we're all going through. We're pushing through, teaching however we can, to give them a bit of learning, even though it's really hard.)

To address the education crisis, Task Force Kanlaon is now seeking a P1 billion budget from the national government to build permanent evacuation centers with enough classrooms.

The funding request was made during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s visit to La Carlota City on February 21.

Uncertain future

A child from the evacuation center holds tight to school supplies given by TV Patrol Lingkod Kapamilya. Denver Godezano, ABS-CBN News

Since Mount Kanlaon's first seismic activity in June last year, some residents have been in evacuation centers for almost eight months now.

Analyn Quitara, a resident of Sitio Mananawin in Masulog, La Castallena, has lived in an evacuation center since June as her home is within the four-kilometer radius of the volcano.

“Hirap eh hirap, ang hirap, pinilit na lang namin na dito na lang kami wala naman kaming magawa dahil nasa four-kilometer [radius] kami [ng bulkan],” said Analyn.

(It's hard, it's really hard. We just forced ourselves to stay here, we couldn't do anything else because we're in the four-kilometer radius of the volcano.)

According to Nolito Alojepan, the barangay chairman of Masulog, people who reside within the four-kilometer radius of the volcano will permanently relocate for safety. He said the national government is now coordinating with the local government to find a place for them.

“Sa 4 kilometers meron tayong 10 families na hindi na talaga pinapayagan na makabalik sa kanilang tahanan. Hinintay namin relocation site nila, pero hindi pa maestablish from national government,” said Alojepan.

(Within those 4 kilometers, 10 families are no longer allowed to return to their homes. We've been waiting for their relocation site, but it hasn't been established yet by the national government.)

For evacuees like Analyn, there is nothing left but hope for the situation to get better and return to normal. She even dreamed that one day they could go back home.

“Nag-pray na lang kami na sana bukas may magsasabi na puwede na kayong umuwi sa lugar niyo kasi okay, nag–imagine na lang kami.”

(We could only pray that, by tomorrow, someone would announce, 'You're allowed to go home now, it's safe.' We just had to imagine it.)

But Analyn knows that this is nothing but a dream.

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