LA CASTELLANA, Negros Occidental – Living in a natural and peaceful place like the town of La Castellana in Negros Occidental is a dream come true for Arlyn Layaguin of Sitio Tamburong, Brgy Biak na Bato of the said town.

Geographically, La Castellana is comprised of 13 villages and it lies at the base of Mount Kanlaon, known for its natural springs and waterfalls. It is 65 kilometers from Bacolod City.

This is where Arlyn,46, started building her dreams together with her husband. They were blessed with five children whom her eldest child is already 20 years old while the youngest is two years old.

Layaguin couples may not blessed with abundant life but they were happy together raising their children from their sweat labour. Arlyn’s husband works as a laborer while she works as a laundress. With their poor situation, the family has been a beneficiary of 4Ps for several years already with three children being monitored by the program.

They temporarily settled themselves in a portion of land owned by a private owner as long as it was not yet utilized. Their house which made of mixed materials is situation at the side of the creek. Every typhoon and other disaster, their household is always on the list of evacuees for possible threat of landslides and flash floods.

That’s why when Mt. Kanlaon erupted last Monday, June 3, 2024, Arlyn’s family was immediately evacuated at the La Castellana evacuation center around 9:00 p.m. to spare their lives from danger due to the heavy mudflow of volcanic materials.

At the evacuation center, Arlyn said they feel safe after seeing the presence of DSWD, LGU, and other partner agencies helping them with their immediate needs along with the other displaced families in their area and neighboring villages.

“When we requested by our LGU to vacate our place, we did not hesitate because we already knew the risk that we were facing especially since the water at the creek was getting higher due to heavy rains mixed with muds,” she said.

Currently, the family is still at the center for seven days already while waiting for the advice on when to return to their respective home. Arlyn said she doesn’t know if their house is still there but the most important to them is that they are all complete and safe.

“Our house may be destroyed but our dreams remain. I hope that one day my children will finish their studies and find decent jobs in the future like my eldest son who aims to be one of the men in uniform,” Arlyn ended./ mgc(By: SDA Focal Jorilyn Alegado, Negros POO2)