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BACOLOD City – Although Mount Kanlaon is located far from this city, volcanic ash particles from its May 13 eruption were observed in at least 23 barangays here, according to the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO).
Dr. Ana Maria Laarni Pornan, head of the CDRRMO, clarified that what residents are seeing is not ashfall, but volcanic ash particles brought in by rainfall following the eruption.
The affected barangays are: Alangilan, Alijis, Estefania, Cabug, Granada, Handumanan, Mandalagan, Mansilingan, Singcang-Airport, Sum-ag, Taculing, Tangub, Villamonte, Vista Alegre, and Barangays 8, 9, 12, 17, 21, 29, 32, 33, and 35.
The CDRRMO has issued health and safety advisories to residents, urging them to:
* Limit outdoor exposure
* Use face masks or damp cloths to cover the nose and mouth
* Keep windows and doors closed
* Secure and protect water sources
Meanwhile, the Environmental Management Bureau Region VI (EMB-6) is continuing air quality monitoring in the areas surrounding Mt. Kanlaon to safeguard public health and the environment.
To recall, a moderately explosive eruption occurred at Mt. Kanlaon’s summit crater at 2:55 a.m. on May 13, lasting about five minutes based on seismic and infrasound data, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).
The eruption generated a grayish, voluminous ash plume that rose approximately 4.5 kilometers above the vent and drifted southwest. Incandescent pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) descended the southern slopes within about two kilometers of the crater, as detected through visual and thermal monitoring.
PHIVOLCS also reported large ballistic fragments around the crater and burned vegetation near the volcano’s summit. Thin ashfall was reported in several areas of Negros Occidental, including:
* La Carlota City (barangays Cubay, San Miguel, Yubo, and Ara-al)
* Bago City (barangays Ilijan and Binubuhan)
* La Castellana (barangays Biak-na-Bato, Sag-ang, and Mansalanao)
As of writing, Kanlaon remains under Alert Level 3 (magmatic unrest), indicating an increased likelihood of short-lived, moderately explosive eruptions that may pose life-threatening volcanic hazards./PN