• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) has lifted the prohibition on the entry to the six-kilometer extended danger zone of Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Island for residents to carry out farming and other essential activities.
This was after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) noted the simmering activity of Kanlaon, following its five-minute moderately explosive eruption on May 13.
The OCD gives a window period for entry and exit into the permanent danger zone (PDZ), specifically from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., which allows residents to tend to their livestock or farming.
Donato Sermeno III, OCD regional director for Negros Island Region, said he called on the border control guards to monitory closely the entry of residents into the danger zone in allowable period of time as it may be taken advantage by some people, who are not allowed to do so.
Farmers, who will harvest their agricultural crops and do essential activities, should get an endorsement from their respective local government units, Sermeno said.
He noted that the pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) from Kanlaon Volcano have been observed to extend further from the crater up to two kilometers down to its slopes during its May 13 eruption, compared to only 800 meters during the April 8 explosion.
These PDCs, which are hazardous mixtures of hot volcanic gas, ash, and rock, pose a significant threat to nearby communities, according to Phivolcs.
Sermeno, who attended the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council a meeting on Friday at the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City, said they still expect a major eruption of Kanlaon Volcano. | GB
