‘Don’t panic, but be alert,’ Negrenses told
BACOLOD CITY — Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. on Friday asked Negrenses not to panic but remain alert amid the unrest of Mount Kanlaon, also called Kanlaon Volcano.
"Don't let your guard down," Marañon said, as it has been three days since the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) hoisted Alert Level 2, or "moderate level of unrest" on Kanlaon Volcano.
Marañon also called for prayers, believing that "prayer is the best answer and solution." He said concerned agencies continue to monitor the condition of the volcano.
As of 8 a.m. Friday, Phivolcs said Kanlaon Volcano's seismic monitoring network recorded 10 volcanic earthquakes during the past 24 hours, after its Thursday bulletin showed 217 volcanic earthquakes recorded so far.
"There is probable intrusion of magma at depth which may or may not lead to a magmatic eruption," the latest bulletin stressed.
"The PHIVOLCS will advise us if there's a change in the situation," Marañon said, after concerned agencies discussed with local government units the identified gaps in the preparations for possible evacuation.
Zeaphard Gerhart Caelian, head of Negros Occidental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Division, said the affected LGUS already laid their evacuation plans, including the setting up of drop-off points and evacuation centers.
Localities covered by the fourkilometer permanent danger zone are the cities of San Carlos, Bago and La Carlota; and the towns of Murcia, La Castellana, Moises Padilla, and Salvador Benedicto.
This active volcano—situated at the north-central portion of Negros island, or about 32 kilometers southeast of Bacolod City—is, at 8,086 feet, the highest point in the Visayas and is part of the Negros Volcanic Belt, according to britannica.com.