BACOLOD CITY: The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has taken a significant step in marking the four-kilometer radius of the permanent danger zone (PDZ) around Mt. Kanlaon on Negros Island. The first flag was installed to delineate this area, as announced by the Office of Civil Defense-Western Visayas (OCD-6) on Sunday. The active volcano remains under Alert Level 2, indicating increasing unrest, following its explosive eruption on June 3.
According to Philippines News Agency, the initiative is part of ongoing efforts by the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC)-6 Incident Management Team. This measure aims to enhance community safety in the event of any escalation in volcanic activity at Mt. Kanlaon. The first flag was installed in Barangay Biak na Bato in La Castellana, Negros Occidental on October 16, led by Joan Nathaniel Gerangaya, head of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office, and Dennis PiƱosa, superintendent of the Mt. Kanlaon Natural
Park (MKNP) protected area.
The OCD-6 has indicated that additional flags will be placed along demarcation points in the upcoming months. This project is funded through collaborative efforts involving OCD-6, the provincial government of Negros Occidental, and local government units near Mt. Kanlaon. On October 22, RDRRMC-6 approved Resolution 7, recommending that the four-kilometer radius PDZ be declared a strict protection zone (SPZ) by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. An SPZ is an area closed to all human activity, except for scientific studies and/or ceremonial or religious use by indigenous cultural communities.
Data from the MKNP Protected Area Management Board reveals that approximately 60 households are located within the PDZ, according to a map. The La Castellana municipal government accounts for 15 families, with 10 residing in Barangay Masulog and five in Barangay Biak na Bato. OCD-6 Director Raul Fernandez, who also chairs RDRRMC-6, mentioned that strategies are being discu
ssed to relocate families living within the PDZ following the resolution’s approval.
