Mt. Kanlaon emits ash for over 2 hours
BACOLOD CITY—Mt. Kanlaon on Negros Island emitted ash twice for over two hours on Monday, six days after an explosive eruption on April 8.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the incident was not an explosive eruption as it was not accompanied by a booming sound.
“It was just emitting ash,” said Mari-Andylene Quintia, resident volcanologist of the Phivolcs at the Mt. Kanlaon Observatory in La Carlota, on Monday.
So far, she said only mild ashfall has been reported in some barangays in La Carlota City and Bago City in Negros Occidental.
Monday’s ash emission at Mt. Kanlaon began at 11:52 a.m. and lasted until 2:12 p.m., drifting west-northwest of the volcano. It generated voluminous ash plumes, the highest of which was at 800 meters from the summit crater and dropped to about 500 meters before it tapered down, Phivolcs said.
A second ash emission event at Mt. Kanlaon began at 2:53 p.m. and lasted until 3:24 p.m., generating a voluminous ash plume as tall as 600 meters from the summit crater.
Thin ash
Mayor Nicholas Yulo of Bago City said ashfall was reported in Barangays Ilijan, Binubuhan and Mailum.
In La Carlota City, Mayor Rex Jalando-on said about seven barangays—Ara-al, San Miguel, Balabag, La Granja, Cubay, Nagasi and Haguimit—have also been hit by thin ash fall.
In Barangay San Miguel, a school moving-up ceremony was being held and since the ash was thin, they went on with the activity with those present asked to wear masks, Jalando-on said.
Task Force Kanlaon is prohibiting Holy Week-related activities within the volcano’s 6-kilometer extended danger zone (EDZ).
In a memorandum issued on April 12, the Regional Task Force Kanlaon prohibited any form of pilgrimage and trekking, especially entry into the 6-km EDZ during the observance of the Holy Week.
All Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officers of local governments surrounding Mt. Kanlaon were directed to activate their Incident Management Teams and to immediately place all responders on high alert status to ensure preparedness and rapid response capability.
Additional aid
Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson thanked President Marcos and the Office of Civil Defense under Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno for the P63 million in additional financial assistance to be given to local governments affected by the continuous and prolonged unrest of Mt. Kanlaon.
The President had earlier released P50 million in aid for the needs of the Kanlaon evacuees.
Lacson, in a statement on April 13, hoped that the additional assistance would help establish permanent shelters for those who have been severely affected by Mt. Kanlaon’s unrest.
“We thank the President for recognizing the urgency of the situation and for responding to the needs of our people,” Lacson said.
As of Monday, there are still 1,770 families with 5,673 members staying in shelters in Negros Occidental since the volcano erupted on Dec. 9, 2024.
Kanlaon erupted anew on April 8 but no new evacuation was needed. It has been under alert level 3 (high level of volcanic unrest) since Dec. 9.
