Marcos: Gov't on top of situation amid Kanlaon eruption

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. on Tuesday ensured that the government is ready to provide assistance to those affected by the eruption of the Kanlaon Volcano.

In a video message, Marcos said that the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) are on top of the situation.

“Patuloy ang ating mga ahensya tulad ng PHIVOLCS, NDRRMC, at ang DSWD sa kanilang masusing pagsusubaybay at pagbibigay ng suporta,” Marcos said. 

(Our agencies, such as PHIVOLCS, NDRRMC, and the DSWD, are monitoring the situation and continue to provide support.) 

Marcos stressed that the alert level alarm was raised to Alert Level 2 to ensure the safety of the residents.

He said that at present, there are around 170 families or 796 individuals affected by the volcano eruption. 

Marcos said the government has already provided necessary assistance to the affected residents and that assets are on standby for deployment.

“Namigay na tayo ng mga sleeping kits sa La Castellana at may 13,000 family food packs na ang naka-preposition sa Negros Island at may karagdagang 40,000 food packs at iba pang non-food items na paparating,” he said.

(We have already distributed sleeping kits in La Castellana and there are 13,000 family food packs prepositioned in Negros Island and an additional 40,000 food packs and other non-food items are coming.)

“Naka-standby din ang ating mga air asset para mas mabilis na pag-responde Tinitiyak ko na ang ating pamahalaan ay handa at patuloy na nagbibigay ng suporta hanggang makabalik nang ligtas ang lahat sa kanilang mga tahanan,” he added.

(Our air assets are also on standby for a faster response. I assure you that our government is ready and will continue to provide support until everyone returns safely to their home.)

Marcos called on the residents, especially those who are close to the affected areas, to remain vigilant and refrain from staying in the four-kilometer radius permanent danger zone.
He also urged authorities to follow the guidelines and the reminders set by the local authorities.

Earlier, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said that Canlaon City in the province of Negros Oriental has been placed under a state of calamity following the eruption of Kanlaon Volcano.

Kanlaon Volcano emitted plumes that rose to 5,000 meters on Monday.

PHIVOLCS said the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon began at 6:51 p.m. with the volcano sending a vertical plume into the atmosphere. The eruption lasted 6 minutes and was followed by a relatively strong volcanic-tectonic earthquake.

Five barangays in the city were affected by the volcanic eruption, namely Pula, Masulog, Malaiba, Lumapao, and Linothangan.

According to the provincial disaster risk reduction and management council (PDRRMC) a total of 1,562 individuals or 210 families in the province of Negros Occidental were transferred to evacuation centers following the volcanic eruption.

Some flights were canceled on due to the eruption of Kanlaon Volcano, airport authorities said.

Since 1866, all of Kanlaon's eruptions, except one, were phreatic in nature. In 1902, Kanlaon had a strombolian eruption, which is a moderately explosive eruption of basaltic magma with moderate gas content.  —VAL, GMA Integrated News