By CESAR JOLITO III

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson assured residents that the provincial government is closely monitoring the situation at Kanlaon Volcano as seismic activity continues, with hopes that the alert status will not escalate.

“Right now, it’s Alert Level 2. It means that nobody should be in the four-kilometer permanent danger zone,” Lacson said, noting that former residents of the zone remain in evacuation centers.

Lacson said if conditions worsen, more families — particularly from La Castellana town — may be displaced.

“La Castellana will definitely depend on the help coming from the province,” Lacson stressed.

He emphasized that the province will continue to follow orders from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

The governor said the provincial government remains in close coordination with Phivolcs to ensure preparedness for any possible escalation of volcanic activity.

Phivolcs reported 72 volcano-tectonic (VT) earthquakes from midnight to 8:00 a.m on Monday, September 15.

The strongest tremor was felt at Intensity 1 in Negros Occidental’s La Carlota City and Negros Oriental’s Canlaon City.

Phivolcs explained that the spike in VT events signals ongoing rock fracturing beneath the volcano caused by rising magma or gas, increasing the likelihood of steam-driven or phreatic eruptions.

“It is clear that the threat is high now compared to previous days. So we strongly remind the public that entry into and getting near the four-kilometer permanent danger zone is prohibited,” Phivolcs director Teresito Bacolcol said.

Such activity could trigger hazardous events, including pyroclastic density currents, ashfall, ballistic projectiles, and rockfalls.

Bacolcol said low gas emissions could indicate closed system degassing.

“There’s a clog in the passage. If this continues together with the increase in earthquakes, there is a possibility that the volcano will spew ashes, which could lead to a weak or even moderate eruption,” he explained./CJ, WDJ