BACOLOD CITY – The Office of Civil Defense lifted the prohibition of entry into the 6-kilometer Kanlaon Volcano extended danger zone, from 6 a.m.to 4 p.m., for residents carrying out farming and other essential activities.
It followed the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology noting the simmering of the activity of Kanlaon, following its five-minute moderately explosive eruption on May 13.
The OCD provides a window period for entry and exit into the permanent danger zone (PDZ) of Mount Kanlaon, specifically from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., which allows residents to tend to their livestock or farms.
Donato Sermeno III, OCD regional director for Negros Island Region, said he called on the border control guards to closely monitor the entry of residents into the danger zone during the allowable period, as some people, who are not allowed to do so could take advantage of the window.
Farmers, who wish to tend to their agricultural crops and perform 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 its slopes, during its May 13 eruption, compared to 800 meters on the April 8 explosion.
The PDCs, which are hazardous mixtures of hot volcanic gas, ash, and rock, pose a significant threat to nearby communities, according to PHIVOLCS.
Sermeno said they still expect a major eruption of Kanlaon Volcano.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council held a meeting on Friday at the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod, which was presided by its chairman, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, attended by Sermeno and other PDRRMC members.
Sermeno briefed the PDRMMC on the selection of permanent evacuation sites for residents affected by the Kanlaon Volcano eruption in La Castellana, and the cities of Bago, La Carlota and San Carlos, Negros Occidental. (Gilbert Bayoran via tvds)