Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson is urging residents living near Kanlaon Volcano not to resist calls to evacuate should the need arise.
Kanlaon Volcano that is under a state of unrest has been intermittently spewing gray ash since Saturday.
Those living in the area around Kanlaon tend to become confident things are normal and no eruption will occur, Lacson said on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
“But just like an earthquake we can’t tell when that will happen so I am just hoping that when it is time to evacuate, the cooperation will be there,” he said.
The Negros Occidental provincial government has always been on standby and is prepared for any eventuality, but even the experts cannot say if there will be an eruption at Kanlaon or not, although the signs are there, Lacson said.
“We’ll just continue to pray that it will not erupt anymore,” he said.
The preparations remain, what is important is the four kilometer danger zone is free of any inhabitants, he said.
Lacson said he is hoping Kanlaon will not erupt because at this time of the year most of the local governments, especially in the Kanlaon Volcano area, have already exhausted their budgets for calamities.
Dr. Ma. Girlie Pinongan, Negros Occidental provincial health officer, said they are continuing to monitor the health conditions of residents around Kanlaon with the sulfur and ash emissions but have not noted any increase in respiratory ailments.
Residents are advised wear masks or use clean cloths when Kanlaon emissions occur, although residents in the area already know how to protect themselves, she said.
Kanlaon Volcano spewed grey ash from 6:43 to 7:06 a.m. Tuesday, Mari-Andylene Quintia, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology resident volcanologist at the Mt. Kanlaon Observatory, said.
Thin layers of grey ash hit barangays Cabacungan and Cabagnaan in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, and Barangay Masulog in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, she said.
Phivolcs reported on Tuesday that the volcano had eight volcanic earthquakes, and emitted 4,768 tons of sulfur dioxide.*