By JEN BAYLON
A total of 25,102 individuals, comprising 7,656 families, have been displaced by the ongoing unrest at Kanlaon Volcano almost four months following its explosive eruption late last year.
Based on data from the Department of Health’s (DOH) Mount Kanlaon Response Report, as of Saturday, April 5, affected residents are currently housed in 20 evacuation centers across Negros Island.
These include 12 evacuation centers in local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental surrounding Kanlaon and eight evacuation centers in Negros Oriental’s Canlaon City.
Of the number, seven facilities are in La Castellana town, four in La Carlota City and one in Bago City.
A total of 8,110 evacuees, or 2,548 families, are receiving shelter and financial assistance.
Meanwhile, Donato Sermeno III, Office of Civil Defense in Negros Island Region (OCD-NIR) director, said there have been 4,264 residents remaining in evacuation centers in La Castellana, 1,111 in La Carlota, 205 in San Carlos City, and 77 evacuees in Bago City four months since Kanlaon erupted on December 9, 2024.
To address the health needs of evacuees, the DOH said medical personnel — six physicians, 43 nurses, 14 technical staff, and 77 other medical professionals — have been deployed to various evacuation centers.
The government continues to provide assistance as augmented aid arrives from other regions.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said affected LGUs like La Castellana, which has the most number of evacuees, are appealing for more aid from the national government.
“There is still a budget for food for another month, but we can already foresee in the near future that it might be a concern already,” Lacson said.
“We will continue to help them as long as Alert Level 3 is hoisted over Kanlaon,” he added.
The governor said the Capitol is utilizing funds from its 2024 budget and the P50 million given by the Office of the President.
Permanent evacuation sites eyed
Sermeno said OCD-NIR is planning to put up permanent evacuation centers in several barangays outside Kanlaon’s six-kilometer extended danger zone (EDZ) for affected residents.
OCD-NIR has already identified eight villages where the permanent evacuation centers will be located.
These are Barangay Calumangan in Bago, Barangays La Granja and San Miguel in La Carlota City, and Barangays Talaptap, Lalagsan, Manghanou, Robles, and Nato in La Castellana.
Sermeno also said they will coordinate with the concerned LGUs before submitting their recommendations to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, which will approve the location of the evacuation facilities.
High volcanic activity
Kanlaon remains under Alert Level 3 following continued high volcanic activity observed over the past 24 hours, according to a Phivolcs report yesterday.
In its latest monitoring report over the weekend, Phivolcs recorded two ash emissions lasting between 13 and 24 minutes, along with 12 volcanic earthquakes, which included two volcanic tremors of similar durations.
Sulfur dioxide emissions reached 2,077 tons per day on Saturday, indicating ongoing degassing from the volcano.
A 400-meter-high plume was observed, characterized as moderate and continuous, drifting southwest, Phivolcs reported.
Ground deformation data also indicated that the volcano is swelling, a sign of magma intrusion.
Authorities strongly advise residents to evacuate areas within the six-kilometer EDZ due to the possibility of hazardous eruptions.
Flying aircraft near the summit is strictly prohibited.
Phivolcs also warned the public of potential hazards, such as sudden explosions, lava effusion, ashfall, pyroclastic density currents, rockfalls, and lahar flows, especially during heavy rain.
Kanlaon has been erupting since December 2024, with explosive eruptions causing ashfall and pyroclastic flows that have severely impacted agriculture and displaced thousands./JB, WDJ