Kanlaon Volcano marked one year of unrest on Tuesday, which began with an explosive eruption on June 3, 2024.
Today the volcano remains under Alert Level 3, or a period of intensified magmatic unrest, and the threat of more eruptions remains.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported that from 12 a.m. Monday to 12 a.m. Tuesday Kanlaon had one ash emission event that lasted 29 minutes, 38 volcanic earthquakes, including 1 volcanic tremor, and emitted 1,460 tons of sulfur dioxide.
Ash fall was reported in barangays Ilijan, Binubuhan and Mailum in Bago City on Monday, Donato Sermeno III, regional director of the Office of the Civil Defense – Negros Island Region, said on Tuesday.
There are 2,248 families from Kanlaon Volcano’s 6-kilometer extended danger zone who remain in 23 evacuation centers in Canlaon City, La Castellana, La Carlota City and Bago City on Negros Island, Sermeno said.
The situation has had a huge impact on their livelihoods and the education of children, and the prolonged dislocation has had psychological effects, he added.
They are now looking at constructing nipa and bamboo structures to serve as alterative learning spaces for students, in addition to the canopy tents that were recently requested by the La Castellana government, Sermeno said.*