• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Negros Occidental Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) reported on June 24 that the phreatic explosion of Kanlaon volcano not only displaced thousands of residents within the four-kilometer permanent danger zone, but also killed livestock and chickens.
PVO officer in charge Dr. Ryan Janoya disclosed that a total of 3,421 heads of swine, cattle, carabao, goats, and sheep died due to volcanic fumes.
Among the fatalities, the PVO reported that 3,210 were chickens.
Estimated value of the dead livestock was placed at P374,200.
They mostly suffered respiratory infections and digestive problems due to the inhalation of sulfur, according to Janoya.
Acting on that information, the PVO held a series of veterinary medical missions last week in the affected barangays, aimed at helping other animals in the area to recover from burns and digestive problems.
Janoya said they are providing feed and treatments to affected animals, especially those that suffered minor burns in the upper portion of Barangay Cabagna-an in La Castellana.
Three weeks after the phreatic eruption of Kanlaon volcano on June 3, the majority of the La Castellana residents who were affected have returned to their respective homes.
John de Asis, head of the La Castellana Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, reported that only 39 families, composed of 116 individuals, who are residents of barangays of Biak Na Bato and Cabagna-an, remain at the evacuation center in the municipality.
Those families are residing within the 4-kilometer permanent danger zone of Kanlaon volcano, and it may take time to relocate them, De Asis added.
More than 4,000 La Castellana residents were evacuated from their homes following the eruption of Kanlaon volcano.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has recommended that nobody should be allowed to reside within the permanent danger zone.
La Castellana Mayor Alme Rhummyla Nicor-Mangilimutan admitted that it needs political will to make those people understand.
On June 24, PHIVOLCS logged four volcanic quakes at Kanlaon volcano, which remains on Alert Level 2 status.*
