• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) has issued a warning that no responders will attempt to get inside the danger zones of Mt. Kanlaon to execute rescue operations should an eruption occur anew.
The warning was issued by OCD Administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno as he appealed to all residents affected by the potential eruption to heed official warnings.
This is particularly for the people of La Castellana, Negros Occidental, and Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, including those outside the six-kilometer extended danger zone.
Nepomuceno, in a statement issued by the OCD, urged communities to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
“I appeal to all residents, even those outside the six-kilometer extended danger zone, to take this situation seriously and evacuate immediately. We want no casualties in the event of an eruption,” he added.
He emphasized that “lives are far more important than properties and livelihood.”
More than 2,500 evacuees in the municipality of La Castellana, cities of Bago and La Carlota in Negros Occidental, and Canlaon City in Negros Oriental, who are living outside the six-kilometer extended danger zone, have decamped and gone home since last week.
The return of these evacuees is allowed within the guidelines set for Alert Level 3, Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson earlier said.
On Saturday, Jan. 11, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported a significant increase in the ground swelling and pressurization of Mt. Kanlaon.
Monitoring by the Kanlaon Volcano Network showed a pronounced inflation in the eastern edifice of the volcano since Friday night.
The Upper Pantao Observation Station located in the eastern flank detected a sharp increase in the inflationary tilt, indicating a sudden rise in the pressurization of magma on the upper portion of the volcano.
A concerning drop in sulfur dioxide emissions was recorded by Phivolcs recently, declining from an average of 5,763 tonnes per day to just 2,029 tons on Jan. 9.
This reduction further supports the possibility of an impending eruption, reflecting changes in the volcano’s magmatic system, it added. | GB
