Kanlaon evacuee makes ends meet through her makeshift `sari-sari’ store
Maricel Bacaoco has been running her makeshift store inside the evacuation center in Negros Occidental after the Kanlaon Volcano erupted in December 2024. (Photo by Dianne Sampang/INQUIRER.net)
MANILA, Philippines — In the middle of yellow and green painted classroom walls in La Carlota South Elementary School in Negros Occidental, an evacuee makes ends meet through her makeshift “sari-sari” store.
After the eruption of the Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Island in December last year, Maricel Bacaoco and her family have been living in one of the classrooms of the elementary school for five months now. Bacaoco is among the over 300 residents temporarily seeking shelter in the school.
“Minsan, P1,000 a day ang kita. Malaking tulong talaga. Malaking tulong po sa amin, lalo pag may estudyante. Nakakatulong sa pang-araw-araw,” Bacaoco told INQUIRER.net in an interview.
Maricel Bacaoco shares that she can make up to P1,000 profit a day from her store. (Photo by Dianne Sampang/INQUIRER.net)
(Sometimes, I reach P1,000 profit a day. It is a big help for us, especially since we have students [as buyers]. It helps us in our everyday lives.)
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Bacaoco shared that there are 17 of her family members currently living in the classroom.
Prior to the eruption of the Kanlaon Volcano in December 2024, Bacaoco had already been running her store in their home.
“Doon sa amin, maraming tourists, maraming umaakyat, maraming bisita. Malapit kami sa mga falls. Mabenta kaysa dito,” Bacaoco recalled.
(Back home, we had a lot of tourists and visitors. We were near the falls. I used to sell more.)
She mentioned that aside from her store, she sold rice and ready-to-wear clothes. She also shared that she had to deal with the profit loss from her old business after the volcano erupted.
Living inside a classroom
Walking through Bacaoco’s family’s makeshift home in the school, she shared how they continue to grapple with the persistent hot weather condition.
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“Iba kasi sa amin kasi malamig. Kahit ganitong maraming electric fan, mainit pa rin. Nagkasakit na rin,” Bacaoco said.
(We got used to the cold weather in our home. Even if we have many electric fans here, it is still very hot. We even got sick [because of the heat].)
“Hindi sapat yung kita pag may nagkasakit. Pero ngayon, may libreng check up at gamot,” she added.
(We don’t make much money when we get sick. But now, we have free [medical] check up and medicines.)
She called on the government to continue providing assistance to evacuees like her. Bacaoco also wished to go back to the family residence safely, despite their home being damaged by the volcano’s eruption.
The volcano also erupted last April 8, resulting in widespread ashfall and damage to properties. This prompted the government to recommend the evacuation of all residents within a 6-kilometer radius of the volcano’s summit.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. previously ordered a creation of a task force to aid victims of the Kanlaon Volcano eruption where among the plans discussed was to build a permanent evacuation center inside the volcano’s danger zone.
