The Regional Task Force Kanlaon on Tuesday announced an indefinite suspension of entry into the 6-kilometer extended danger zone around Mt. Kanlaon in northern Negros, following increased volcanic activity that may signal the possibility of an eruption.
Effective Wednesday, the suspension will be enforced daily between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. and will remain in place until further notice. According to the task force, the suspension is due to the “parameters that may be precursors to sudden eruptions” based on previous experiences.
It cited the Kanlaon Volcano Bulletin from 5 a.m. on Monday to 5 a.m. on Tuesday, which reported 31 recorded volcanic earthquakes with sulfur dioxide flux of 1,020 tonnes per day on May 26, with a 700-meter plume, moderate continuous degassing, and drifting northwest.
Seth Cabanas Bariga, the assistant information officer for the Incident Command System of Canlaon City, said in an interview that the suspension would impact over 2,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs).
He likewise reported that a total of 2,450 individuals, comprising 779 families, are currently sheltered in seven evacuation camps.
Bariga said they are given day passes when they visit their homes and farms and tend to their livestock. To ensure the evacuees return to the evacuation centers by the end of the day, safety officers conduct inventories and searches for those who have not yet returned from the danger zone.
Meanwhile, Canlaon City Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas has yet to issue specific guidelines for the evacuees, as a meeting is scheduled for late Tuesday.
