By CESAR JOLITO III
The municipal government of La Castellana in Negros Occidental admitted that it no longer has sufficient funds to respond to another possible eruption of Kanlaon Volcano, even as national and local disaster agencies remain on heightened alert following the volcano’s explosive activity.
La Castellana Mayor Añejo Nicor said the local government’s disaster funds have been depleted since the last major evacuation due to volcanic unrest seven months ago, leaving the municipality financially strained in preparing for a renewed crisis.
“We have already exhausted our calamity funds during the previous eruption and evacuation. We are now appealing for assistance from the national government, our congressmen and neighboring LGUs [local government units],” Nicor said.
Nicor added that several internally displaced persons remain in temporary shelters, with some staying within the four-kilometer permanent danger zone.
Due to limited resources and worsening conditions in evacuation centers, the Incident Management Team has recommended the decampment of remaining evacuees.
Nicor has been repeatedly appealing for the national government’s help, as the quick response funds are already depleted for supporting more than 3,000 evacuees.
A total of 3,293 displaced La Castellana residents remain in evacuation centers, where they have been living since May 2025.
No evacuation
Despite the latest explosive eruption of Kanlaon on Friday, October 24, authorities clarified that no evacuation was ordered as of this time.
Donato Sermeno III, director of the Office of Civil Defense in the Negros Island Region, said they continue to conduct constant monitoring of affected areas as part of their coordination under the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
“All LGUs surrounding Kanlaon are on standby and ready to act if the situation escalates,” Sermeno assured in a radio interview yesterday.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the three-minute eruption at Kanlaon on Friday night generated a 2,000-meter-high ash plume that drifted northeast.
Pyroclastic density currents were also observed on the volcano’s southern upper slopes.
Following the eruption, ashfall and the smell of sulfur were reported in seven barangays in Bago City, two in La Castellana, and one each in the cities of La Carlota and San Carlos, as well as the towns of Murcia and Pontevedra in Negros Occidental.
Two barangays in Negros Oriental’s Canlaon City were also affected.
In Bago City’s Barangay Mailum, ashfall contaminated the local water source, prompting the local government to immediately dispatch water rations to residents.
Phivolcs maintains Alert Level 2 over Kanlaon, indicating “increased unrest.”
Local officials are urging continued vigilance and renewed funding support to ensure readiness in case the volcano’s activity intensifies./CJ, WDJ