NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – Kanlaon Volcano erupted briefly on Thursday, February 6, spewing ash and causing mudflows that affected at least two towns in Negros Occidental. It was Kanlaon’s second eruption since a more powerful one on December 9, 2024.
The eruption, which lasted about two minutes, was described as “minor” by Task Force Kanlaon, but it affected communities near the foot of the volcano in La Castellana and Moises Padilla.
Ashfall enveloped four sitios – San Luis, Mercedes, Pacita, and Isabel – in Barangay Sag-ang, La Castellana, said Raul Fernandez, chief of Task Force Kanlaon, on Friday, February 7.
Fernandez said they were also looking into reports that ashfall had reached the town of Pontevedra.
As a result, aircraft of any kind or size flying in and out of Negros Occidental via Bacolod-Silay Airport in Silay City are strictly prohibited from flying near Kanlaon Volcano.
Fernandez also confirmed the occurrence of mudflows within the Buhangin River, which streams through both La Castellana and Moises Padilla towns.
He warned residents in the two towns to stay away from mudflows to avoid health hazards.
Ashfall and mudflow debris could cause suffocation leading to internal injuries, respiratory diseases, and even skin irritation, warned Health Undersecretary Mary Ann Palermo-Maestral.
La Castellana officials urged residents to stay indoors, remain calm, but stay alert amid the recent ashfall and mudflows.
As ashfall continued, personnel from the town’s disaster risk reduction and management office distributed face masks to residents in Barangay Sag-ang.
Sag-ang residents were former evacuees allowed to return home since their village is located just outside the extended six-kilometer permanent danger zone around Kanlaon.
Maestral said personnel from the Department of Health-Negros Island Region (DOH-NIR) remain active in assisting the remaining 5,800 Kanlaon evacuees in La Castellana and the cities of La Carlota and Bago.
The evacuees there have continued to struggle and are getting sick. Two infants in a La Castellana evacuation center died from illness in late December and January, provincial health officer Dr. Girlie Pinongan said. The first fatality died of acute gastroenteritis on Christmas Day, while the other succumbed to sepsis and pneumonia on January 25 after being rushed to a hospital.
Fernandez said they were worried about a powerful eruption after Thursday’s incident.
“That is why we at Task Force Kanlaon are not letting our guard down still,” he said.
A “tent city” in Barangay 3-Poblacion, Himamaylan City, reserved for evacuees from La Castellana or Isabela, continues to expand.
As of Friday, a total of 135 tents had been set up by the Task Force Kanlaon and volunteers, which include military reservists, boy scouts personnel, soldiers and police personnel.
Aside from Himamaylan and Silay, the cities of Kabankalan, Talisay, and Bacolod have also been designated as evacuation centers for Kanlaon evacuees, Fernandez said. Guihulngan City in Negros Oriental is set to host evacuees from Moises Padilla in Negros Occidental.
The Task Force Kanlaon has projected that more than 100,000 people in Negros Occidental alone could be evacuated if another major Kanlaon eruption occurs. – Rappler.com