The Office of Civil Defense has suspended the 10-hour daily window that allows evacuees to return to carry out farming and other livelihood activities in the 6-kilometer extended danger zone of Kanlaon Volcano amid fears of another impending eruption and the threat of lahar flow.
The suspension will start Wednesday, May 28, until further notice, Donato Sermeno III, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Negros Island Region, said on Tuesday.
Residents who had been evacuated out of the danger zone had been allowed to return during the day from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. to tend to their farms and animals because they also need to earn money, especially for the education of their children who are in college, Sermeno said.
However, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported that from 5 a.m. Monday to 5 a.m. Tuesday there were 31 volcanic earthquakes recorded at Kanlaon with a sulfur dioxide flux of 1,020 tons, Sermeno said.
Based on previous experiences, these parameters may be precursors to a sudden eruption, which is the reason why the Regional Task Force Kanlaon decided on the suspension of all entry into the danger zone, he said.
The number of earthquakes and other parameters at the volcano in the coming days will determine whether the suspension can be lifted, Sermeno said.
Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol said as far as they are concerned no one should be allowed within the 6-kilometer extended danger zone as the threat of an eruption remains with Kanlaon still under Alert Level 3 or a high level of volcanic unrest.
He said 31 volcanic earthquakes are within the parameters of Alert Level 3.
The decision to suspend the 10-hour window is up to the OCD officials since they were the ones who allowed it, Bacolcol said.
He also said with the large amount of volcanic ash and other debris from previous Kanlaon eruptions on its slopes, the danger of lahar flow also remains.
Heavy rain triggered lahar flow on Saturday that destroyed one house and damaged seven in Barangay Biak na Nato, La Castellana. The houses were unoccupied since their owners have been living in evacuation centers since December.
The lahar flow also made a road in Brgy Biak na Bato impassable on Saturday until it was cleared.
Residents reported hearing a distinct rumbling sound before the lahar event.
Lahar was also reported at the Baji-Baji Falls in La Castellana and Guinpana-an in Moises Padilla.*