By Jane Eleda, Jester Manalastas, PNA

KANLAON Volcano in Negros Island early yesterday had an explosive eruption, sending a “voluminous” plume as high as 4,000 meters or 4 kilometers, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

Phivolcs director Teresito Bacolcol said the eruption started at 5:51 a.m. and lasted at 6:47 a.m..

Pyroclastic density currents were observed descending from the southern flank of the volcano, Phivols said.

Yesterday’s explosive eruption came four months after a similar event took place on Dec. 9, affecting thousands of residents in central and southern Negros, with about 5,600 individuals still staying in evacuation centers.

Bacolcol said alert level 3 remains hoisted over Kanlaon.

CLASSES, WORK SUSPENDED

Some local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental urged residents to wear masks and declared the suspension of classes as ashfall hit various areas after another explosive eruption of Mt. Kanlaon.

In La Carlota City, ashfall mainly affected are the villages of Ara-al, Yubo, San Miguel, Haguimit, La Granja, Cubay, Nagasi, Balabag, and Roberto S. Benedicto, based on the report of the city government.

Light ashfall was felt in the Poblacion barangays, it added.

Mayor Rex Jalando-on said he ordered the suspension of face-to-face classes at all levels in both public and private schools until further notice.

Work is also suspended in all government offices located within the city except for offices and agencies involved in disaster and emergency response.

The Bureau of Fire Protection is conducting road flushing in affected barangays and will provide potable water to residents in Bgy. Ara-al, it added.

Initial report of the Office of Civil Defense indicated that ashfall was also felt in Bgy. Sag-ang, La Castellana and Bgy. Ilijan, Bago City.

In La Castellana, Mayor Rhummyla Nicor-Mangilimutan also declared the suspension of classes in all levels until further notice.

In Pontevedra, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office also announced the suspension of classes.

Personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection conducted flushing operations in areas affected by the ashfall while the municipal government distributed face masks in public markets, government offices, and schools.

In Himamaylan City, Mayor Rogelio Raymund Tongson Jr. told residents to wear masks when going outdoors and limit outdoor activities, especially for children, senior citizens, and those with respiratory conditions, after hazy conditions have been observed across the city.

DSWD ASSURES FAMILY FOOD PACKS

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has assured public that it is ready to dispatch family food packs (FFPs) and other needed aid to families affected by another explosive eruption of Mt. Kanlaon.

According to DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian over 250,000 boxes of family food packs (FFPs) were prepositioned in the warehouses of DSWD’s Field Office (FO) 6 – Western Visayas and 7-Central Visayas ahead of the ongoing explosive eruption.

“As I speak, our Field Offices in Western and Central Visayas are closely coordinating with affected local government units so we can get real-time updates on the status of affected families, and their need for more provisions of family food packs and non-food items,” Gatchalian said.

Since the explosive eruption last Dec. 9, Gatchalian said the agency has been delivering bulks of FFPs to the LGUs in Western (Region 6) and Central Visayas (Region 7).

“We expect the numbers of evacuees may spike again, but we are ready. Our nearby warehouses are capacitated. In fact, apart from the more than 100,000 FFPs in Negros Island, we have over 2.5 million boxes of FFPs prepositioned in other warehouses across the country which we can tap anytime for our relief response,” the DSWD chief said.

Apart from FFPs, the agency also has P865.4 million worth of non-food items such as kitchen kit, family kit, sleeping kit, hygiene kit, and laminated sacks, among other relief items.

Gatchalian urged nearby communities to adhere to the emergency evacuation notices of LGUs and prioritize their safety.

RESIDENTS URGED TO STEP UP VIGILANCE

Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas of Canlaon City, Negros Oriental called on his constituents to step up vigilance following the explosive eruption of Mt. Kanlao.

“To the people of Canlaon City, please be ready as we do not know the extent of this eruption,” Cardenas said in a post on the city’s official Facebook page.

The mayor called for prayers and assured that the safety of the people is of utmost priority.

The city government also canceled face-to-face classes in all schools.

Yesterday was Kanlaon’s third eruption, with the first on June 3, 2024.

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