ILOILO City – The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Western Visayas has issued a warning to communities and motorists in Negros Occidental after heavy rainfall triggered mudflows and flooding in areas surrounding Mount Kanlaon over the weekend.
The warning came after floodwaters mixed with volcanic debris rendered parts of Sitio Tamburong, Barangay Biak-na-Bato in La Castellana town temporarily impassable on Saturday morning, May 24.
The incident raised alarm among disaster officials as the continued accumulation of volcanic ash from Mount Kanlaon’s earlier eruptions combined with rains poses a heightened threat of lahar or volcanic mudflows.
“Motorists are advised to take alternative routes and avoid the affected area. Residents, particularly those living near waterways and low-lying areas, are strongly urged to exercise heightened caution and remain vigilant for possible further flooding or lahar flows,” the OCD Region 6 advisory read.
Kanlaon had been restive since early last year and registered intermittent explosive eruptions in April and early this May.
Regional Director Raul Fernandez, who also serves as Task Force Kanlaon Commander, emphasized that public safety remains the top priority.
According to the OCD-6, the situation was swiftly managed with the help of local government units, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and the Philippine Red Cross, who assisted in clearing roads and ensuring access was restored.
Mount Kanlaon remains under Alert Level 3, indicating magmatic unrest and an increased likelihood of short-lived, moderately explosive eruptions.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has reiterated that residents within the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) must stay evacuated due to possible pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), ballistic projectiles, ashfall, and other life-threatening volcanic hazards.
Communities experiencing ashfall are also advised to use protective masks or damp cloths to avoid inhaling volcanic particles — especially vulnerable groups such as the elderly, infants, pregnant women, and individuals with respiratory or heart conditions.
Phivolcs further warned that intense rains during eruptive unrest could trigger syn-eruption lahars and sediment-laden streamflows, particularly in channels draining the volcano’s slopes.
Meanwhile, aviation authorities were advised to reroute aircraft away from the volcano’s summit due to the risk of ash damaging engines in the event of a sudden eruption./PN
