By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The management of Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park (MKNP) in Negros Occidental announced yesterday morning that trekking activities inside the protected area are still prohibited.

In a social media post yesterday, the MKNP management said trekkers, faith healers and visitors will be restrained and compelled not to go into the park for any trekking activities within the Kanlaon Volcano’s four-kilometer danger zone.

They also warned that any person caught trekking inside the natural park will be “dealt with accordingly.”

It added that entrance stations will be manned by local officials, as well as the Kanlaon Green Brigades, as part of this year’s “Oplan: Semana Santa.”

The MKNP is a popular trekking destination during Holy Week, as individuals or groups try to climb the volcano’s summit.

It can be recalled that local officials barred tourists from entering the park, after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology placed Kanlaon Volcano under Alert Level 1.

Kanlaon, a stratovolcano, was the highest mountain on Negros Island, as well as the highest point in the Visayas, with an elevation of 2,465 meters or 8,087 feet above sea level./DGB, WDJ