BACOLOD CITY – The Regional Task Force (RTF) Kanlaon has lifted over the weekend the prohibition of entry within Kanlaom Volcano’s six-kilometer extended danger zone but maintains the strict monitoring of volcanic activity in the Negros Island Region.
Evacuated residents are again allowed to return home, during the window period between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m., to carry out farming and other essential activities. The return home ban was imposed on May 28 when the parameters on May 26 and 27 were seen as precursors to sudden eruptions.
In a memorandum dated May 30, Office of Civil Defense-Western Visayas Director Raul Fernandez, who also chairs the RTF Kanlaon, reiterated that Kanlaon Volcano is still on Alert Level 3, which is a state of intensified unrest or magmatic unrest, and strongly advised the local disaster risk reduction and management offices to continue the tight watch in affected local government units.
“In close coordination with the law and order cluster, strictly monitor the situation and carry out appropriate pre-emptive measures as necessary,” he added, citing the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Kanlaon Volcano Bulletin from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 30 in the RTF’s decision to lift the ban.
As of May 30, there were only 12 volcanic earthquakes recorded with a sulfur dioxide flux of 1,012 tonnes a day on May 29, and a plume of 200 meters tall with weak emission, drifting northwest, according to Phivolcs.
The explosive eruption of Mt. Kanlaon on December 9 last year mainly affected residents of La Castellana, La Carlota City, and Bago City in Negros Occidental; and Canlaon City in Negros Oriental.
Data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development on Sunday showed 2,448 families or 7,885 displaced individuals have remained in 23 evacuation centers in the four localities. Some 3,775 families or 12,156 individuals are staying with friends and relatives. (PNA)