1 month ago
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The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned on Wednesday that the likelihood of Kanlaon Volcano's "hazardous eruption" remained high.
"Kanlaon Volcano remains under Alert Level 3, which means it is still at a high level of unrest, and the possibility of a hazardous eruption remains," Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol told The Manila Times in a Viber interview.
Citing its monitoring parameters for the past 24 hours, Bacolcol said some 11 volcanic earthquakes were recorded while sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission was measured at 4,205 tons/day as of Jan. 21.
There were two ash emission events that occurred on Tuesday with plumes reaching up to 300 meters above its main crater, the Phivolcs chief said.
Asked if the parameters were increasing to warrant a rise on its current alert status, he said it remained in "a fluctuating mood."
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He, however, did not discount the possibility of elevating the alert level in the coming days.
"If the signs indicate a higher likelihood of an eruption, we will immediately raise the alert level to warn local governments and the public," Bacolcol said.
Following the erratic behavior of the Negros Islands volcano, concerned government agencies led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) have set up comprehensive contingency measures, including the prepositioning of at least 150,000 food packs at its concerned regional headquarters.
"We must ensure the sufficient and timely delivery of aid in Negros Islands, especially when the volcanic activity of Mount Kanlaon is raised to Alert Level 4," DSWD Secretary Rexlon Gatchalian was quoted as saying.
Bacolcol reiterated his agency's warning against any entry within the 6-kilometer permanent danger zone around the volcano.
Negros city starts devt of relocation sites for evacuees
Meanwhile, the Bago City government in Negros Occidental has started the development of the relocation site in Barangay Napoles for the 23 evacuees affected by the eruption of Kanlaon volcano.
Merijene Ortizo, head of the Bago City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said on Tuesday that the delivery of native bamboo huts, popularly called bahay kubo, "is an initiative of the city government."
The relocation site sits on a 2,000-square-meter lot owned by the city government, Ortizo said.
She said an initial delivery of 14 of the 50 houses was installed on Tuesday.
The city government has purchased 50 pre-fabricated huts to be used as shelters at a relocation site at its 7-hectare property in Barangay Napoles, Ortizo said.
She said the bahay kubos that cost P50,000 each, including delivery and installation, have sturdy flooring unlike tents.
They also have better ventilation than tents that are hot to live in, are environmentally friendly and will not be toppled by strong wind, she said.
Bago City currently has 24 evacuee families with 50 members from the danger zone, she said.
The City Engineer Office has also started with the site development, including the construction of an access road, communal toilet and community kitchen.
The huts will be placed 5 meters apart to give the evacuees privacy and space to plant vegetables, Ortizo said.
The demo farm of the Bago Office of the City Agriculturist is located on the 7-hectare property so the evacuees can have a source of livelihood, she said.
She said the city government has also requested Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, through the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, for an additional budget for the sanitation and cooking facilities for the area.
An area for the security personnel, medical and rescue team, management team, and open area for children and women will also be set aside, Ortizo said.
She said Bago City had also requested 1,000 tents from the Office of Civil Defense in case Kanlaon Volcano's alert level was raised to 4, which would mean an increase in evacuees.
She added that they were targeting to relocate the evacuees to the temporary relocation site before the charter day celebration of Bago City on Feb. 19.
