• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Kanlaon Volcano’s moderately explosive eruption on Thursday night has blanketed 121 barangays of 16 Negros Occidental towns and cities with ashfall.
The eruption of Kanlaon Volcano was followed by two ash emission events, the latest taking place on Friday, lasting more than one hour, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
Twenty three families, composed of 81 individuals fled their homes in the barangays of Ara-al and Yubo in La Carlota City, where residents also experienced sulfuric smell, as well as Camandag and Sag-ang in La Castellana, all in Negros Occidental.
Heavy ashfall was also reported by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) in Brgy. Robles and Sag-ang in La Castellana.
Classes were suspended on Friday in La Castellana, Binalbagan, Isabela, La Carlota, Himamaylan City, Murcia, Pontevedra, Hinigaran, Ilog, Candoni, Kabankalan City, and Moises Padilla in Negros Occidental, as well as Canlaon City in Negros Oriental.
Mari-Andylene Quintia, resident volcanologist at the PHIVOLCS – Kanlaon Volcano Observatory in La Carlota City, said volcanic parameters and other indicators are being closely monitored to determine if an alert level adjustment is needed.
The PDRRMO also called on LGUs within the six kilometer radius to prepare for subsequent evacuation, in case unrest escalates and alert level is raised.
Alert Level 2 still prevails over Kanlaon Volcano, despite occurrence of two moderately explosive eruptions on Feb. 19 and 26, PHIVOLCS said.
The incandescent ballistic fragments were launched as high as 1.5 kilometers from the crater, forming a glowing collar at the Kanlaon summit area, following its eruption, according to the PDRRMO.
It added that the superheated pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) ignited two patches of forest fire on the upper southern and southeastern margins of the forest canopy on the volcano slopes
The 15 local government units affected either by ashfall or sulfuric fumes were Bago City, Binalbagan, La Carlota, La Castellana, Moises Padilla, San Carlos City, Hinigaran, Isabela, Himamaylan City, Pontevedra, Kabankalan City, Ilog, Cauayan, Candoni, Sipalay, and Hinobaan, Negros Occidental.
Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through its field office in Negros Island Region, said it is ready to assist families affected by the latest moderate explosive eruption of Mt. Kanlaon.
Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response and Management Group (DRMG) said the department has a newly inaugurated mechanized production system at the Visayas Disaster Resource Operations Center (VDRC) in Mandaue City, Cebu which can produce large quantities of family food packs (FFPs) that can easily be dispensed to affected localities in the Negros Island.
“With the mechanized packing system, under extreme cases, we could produce at around 30,000 family food boxes a day. (With this, we can immediately provide assistance or respond to the needs of our countrymen) in case of massive and simultaneous disasters happening or affecting our country,” Dumlao said in a radio interview.*
