The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) is preparing for the possible escalation of the alert status of Mt. Kanlaon in Negros Island to Level 4, which will require the evacuation of additional 100,000 persons within the extended 10-kilometer permanent danger zone (PDZ).
OCD administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said yesterday that while the national government has sufficient funds for disaster response, the challenge lies in how to execute the evacuation of such a huge number of people.
“Ang tanong gaano natin kabilis maililikas kung kinakailangan. Hindi madaling gawin ‘yun kaya dapat pagplanuhan ‘yun,” Nepomuceno said in a media interview.
At the Provincial Capitol, Nepomuceno met with Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, La Castellana Mayor Rhummyla Nicor-Mangilimutan, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) volcano monitoring and eruption prediction chief Ma. Antonia Bornas, and other concerned officials, to discuss updates on the status of Mt. Kanlaon and the current situation of internally displaced persons.
After the eruption on December 9, the Phivolcs raised the volcano’s alert level to 3, indicating that “magmatic eruption has begun and may progress to further explosive eruptions,” prompting the evacuation of residents within the extended six-kilometer PDZ.
“The overall parameters may indicate that the shallow magma conduit of the volcano is undergoing pressurization that may lead to an eruption broadly similar to the December 9, 2024 event,” Phivolcs said in an advisory on January 11.
La Castellana is the hardest-hit local government unit, having six villages at the foot of Mt. Kanlaon and the largest number of internally displaced persons (IDPs), with at least 4,335 individuals staying in evacuation centers as of yesterday.
The OCD chief said he discussed the evacuation details with Lacson and Nicor-Mangilimutan to ensure the government’s preparedness when the situation calls for it.
He added that for 2025, new funds are available, and the national government is ready to provide assistance through the concerned government agencies, including the OCD, the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Health.
“Kaya ang pagpapalikas ng 100,000 kailangan ‘yung detalye natin diyan maging sigurado tayo dahil hindi biro ‘yun,” Nepomuceno said.
Although residents outside the six-kilometer PDZ are not directly in danger for now, Nepomuceno said he is still appealing to those who have already left their homes to remain in the evacuation centers to ensure their safety and to make evacuation easier should Alert Level 4 be raised.
“Para huwag na sila dumagdag pa doon sa 100,000 na ililikas kung kinakailangan. Subalit sa ngayon compliant naman ang ating mga mayors sa obligasyon nila na ilikas ‘yung mga nasa loob ng six kilometers,” he added.
Since last week, more than 2,000 residents outside the six-kilometer PDZ of La Castellana, who were affected by the ashfall after the eruption, were already allowed by the municipal government to return home.
In Bago City, only 50 individuals have remained in the evacuation center, from about 500 persons last week. (PNA)