By CESAR JOLITO III
Despite the absence of major volcanic events following an explosive eruption at Kanlaon Volcano on February 19, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned that another eruptive episode cannot be ruled out.
Mari-Andylene Quintia, resident volcanologist at the Kanlaon Volcano Observatory, said monitoring instruments continue to show signs of unrest, prompting scientists to closely evaluate the volcano’s magmatic system.
Speaking in a media interview over the weekend, Quintia noted that current parameters are lower than those recorded during the series of eruptions in 2024 but remain elevated compared to baseline levels.
Phivolcs data indicate that sulfur dioxide emissions have fluctuated in recent days, averaging slightly above 2,000 tons per day, while seismic instruments have detected perceptible tremors that were not present prior to the latest eruption.
Ground deformation monitoring also shows sustained but gradual inflation, suggesting ongoing magma intrusion at depth.
“While the inflation is not abrupt, it is persistent and continues to be carefully monitored,” Quintia said.
Kanlaon remains under Alert Level 2, signifying moderate volcanic unrest.
Phivolcs reiterated that the volcano has been undergoing gradual and fluctuating inflation since 2022, a process attributed to magma moving beneath the edifice.
A short-term swelling phase that began in late January 2026 was observed ahead of the recent eruption.
This pattern, according to Phivolcs, mirrors the eruptive behavior first seen in June 2024, when moderately explosive activity produced similar seismic signals and volcanic hazards.
Earlier, the Office of Civil Defense in the Negros Island Region (OCD-NIR) urged local government units (LGUs) to remain on heightened alert.
OCD-NIR Director Donato Sermeno said preemptive evacuations are not yet being implemented but emphasized that contingency measures are in place should conditions escalate.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has directed LGUs across Negros Island to enforce strict safety measures and ensure public readiness.
The DILG instructed all local chief executives to ensure that residents within the four-kilometer permanent danger zone remain evacuated, while those within a six-kilometer radius remain on heightened alert.
Officials were also told to monitor areas for potential lahar flows and sediment-laden stream surges, particularly during heavy rainfall.
Kanlaon had a moderately explosive eruption last week, generating a dark gray ash plume that rose about 2,000 meters above the crater before drifting southwest.
At least 41 barangays from seven LGUs in Negros Occidental reported light to moderate ashfall and sulfuric odor./CJ, WDJ