Kanlaon Volcano calmed down on Tuesday, June 4, after an eruption that drove 1,504 residents to evacuate from three cities and three towns in Negros Island on Monday.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) canceled flights to and from the Bacolod Silay Airport following the explosion that caused 1,501 to be stranded. Flights resumed at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, CAAP said.
Mayors Jose Chubasco Cardenas of Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, and Rhummyla Nicor Mangilimutan of La Castellana town, Negros Occidental, said they declared a state of calamity on Tuesday to enable them to adequately respond to the eruption’s effects on the livelihoods of their constituents.
Cardenas said five barangays in his city were affected by Kanlaon’s volcanic activity and they currently have 155 evacuees from barangays close to the volcano.
At least 23,622 residents of barangays Pula, Masulog, Malaiba, Lumapao, and Linuthangan in Canlaon have been affected by the eruption, he also said.
Mangilimutan said although the volcano appears to have calmed down they cannot predict its behavior, and they need to be prepared to assist their constituents.
The volcano’s eruption has affected agricultural lands in both LGUs.
Kanlaon remained under Alert Level 2 on Tuesday despite its calm behavior and was being closely being monitored, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.
Kanlaon that has had frequent phreatic explosions and last experienced a magmatic eruption 122 years ago, Phivolcs said.
Kanlaon is quite a dangerous volcano, it said.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said the evacuees in Bago City, La Carlota City and towns of La Castellana, Moises Padilla and Pontevedra were 336 families with 1,349 persons.
Evacuees in Pontevedra and Bago began returning home on Tuesday.
The volcanic activity has calmed down, we are so thankful to all those who stormed heaven with prayers so the situation will not worsen, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.
The provincial government sent vehicles to help in the evacuation of residents, food packs and hygiene kits, he said.
NATIONAL AID
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian, who was in Canlaon City Tuesday, assured of national government assistance for the evacuees.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is closely monitoring situation and has directed the DSWD to ensure that assistance is given to affected residents, he said.
Gatchalian said they will have 50,000 family food packs on the ground by Wednesday and will ensure continuous assistance should Kanlaon’s unrest cause evacuees to stay in evacuation centers for a longer period.
Negros Occidental and Oriental will get 25,000 family food packs each, he said.
More will be sent to Negros if needed,” he said.
The Negros Occidental and Oriental provincial governments also sent assistance to the affected LGUs.
The Negrense Volunteers for Change also delivered MingoMeals to evacuees.*