ANTIQUE – Eight local government units (LGUs) in this province suspended in-person classes yesterday, December 10, due to the ash fall brought by the eruption of Kanlaon Volcano in nearby Negros Island.
Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer (PDRRMO) Broderick Train said the suspension was to ensure that the children would stay in their homes to be safe from any respiratory illness that might be caused by the ash fall.
“The LGUs suspended classes in all levels after they experienced ash fall last night,” Train said.
He said the towns that canceled classes in all levels were Belison, Hamtic, Tobias Fornier, Anini-y, San Jose de Buenavista, Patnongon, and San Remigio, located in southern Antique, estimated to be 382 kilometers from Kanlaon Volcano.
The LGU of Sibalom, on the other hand, suspended classes from preschool to senior high school.
Meanwhile, Train said the province’s Emergency Operations Center was placed under Blue Alert to maintain close monitoring, intensified coordination, and operational readiness, and to undertake precautionary preparedness measures.
“All PDRRMC member agencies and municipal and barangay DRRMCs are also being directed to closely monitor, consolidate, and report all related incidents and to ensure prompt coordination with concerned agencies and offices,” he said.
Train said that while waiting for the next advisory from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, they have advised the public to wear a facemask because the carbon dioxide from the ash fall could cause respiratory illnesses.
“Motorists should also take extra precaution because the ash fall might go to their eyes, which could be dangerous when they drive,” he said. (PNA)
