BACOLOD CITY: Negros Occidental’s Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) has recommended declaring a state of calamity across the province in response to the recent Mt. Kanlaon eruption, which displaced thousands of residents in central and southern Negros. The decision, made during a meeting at the Capitol Social Hall, now awaits approval from the Provincial Board.

According to Philippines News Agency, the PDRRMC, chaired by Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, passed a resolution to facilitate the use of the quick response fund (QRF) to aid affected local government units (LGUs). “Every local government unit willing to help can tap their QRF. They would like to help those affected LGUs,” Lacson stated. Mt. Kanlaon is currently under Alert Level 3, indicating ongoing magmatic unrest with potential for further explosive eruptions, as classified by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol and Office of Civil Defense 6 Director
Raul Fernandez, who heads Task Force Kanlaon, participated in the PDRRMC meeting following an aerial survey of the volcano. The eruption has impacted several areas, including the cities of Bago and La Carlota, and the municipalities of La Castellana, Moises Padilla, Pontevedra, Valladolid, San Enrique, Hinigaran, and Binalbagan. The PDRRMC reports that the eruption affected 33,806 individuals within a 6-kilometer radius, many of whom are dealing with respiratory issues and risks from contaminated resources due to ashfall.

Data from the regional social welfare office indicates that 4,963 families, or 16,869 individuals, have been impacted by the eruption, with 3,767 families, or 12,515 individuals, currently residing in 22 evacuation centers, particularly in the severely affected La Castellana.