• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Office of Civil Defense-Negros Island Region (OCD-NIR) heightened its preparedness, following three moderately explosive eruptions of Kanlaon Volcano, with longer ash emission activities, in less than a month.
OCD-NIR Director Donato Sermeno III said on Tuesday, March 17 that initial assessment of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) shows Kanlaon Volcano appears to be in an alarming state, noting that ash emissions lasted for almost four hours.
In a pre-disaster risk assessment, the OCD-NIR discussed the effects and possible escalation of unrest, with Ma. Antonia Bornas, chief of the Phivolcs Volcano Monitoring and Eruption Prediction Division, giving updates on the Kanlaon Volcano activities.
The moderately explosive eruption of Kanlaon Volcano on March 15 came after similar activities recorded on February 19 and 26.
While no evacuation of residents was reported during the ashfall and sulfuric smell, an estimated 65 hectares of forest and grassland within the volcano’s four-kilometer permanent danger zone (PDZ) were hit by fire as a result of the eruption.
Phivolcs director Teresito Bacolcol, however, said the recent activities of Kanlaon Volcano remains consistent with its Alert Level 2 status, adding that moderately explosive eruptions are expected “every now and then”.
On the possibility of increasing it to Alert Level 3, Bacolcol said “for now, we are not considering it”.
Still, residents in communities surrounding the volcano should be alert at all times, he added.
Phivolcs strictly prohibits the presence of inhabitants in the four-kilometer PDZ of Kanlaon.
“Residents even beyond the four-kilometer PDZ have to be ready anytime, should there be an escalation of the volcano’s activities, which warrants the raising of alert level 2 to 3,” Bacolcol said. | GB
