La Castellana suspends classes as Kanlaon emits sulfur fumes

CLASSES were suspended Friday in La Castellana town, Negros Occidental after Mount Kanlaon emitted sulfur fumes.

La Castellana Mayor Rhumyla Mangilimutan ordered the suspension of classes in six villages, situated within the danger zones, in the afternoon to avoid panic among the residents.

These are villages Sag-ang, Mansalanao, Cabagnaan, Biaknabato, Masulog, and Puso.

The mayor said class suspension in other villages was up to the discretion of the principal.

She said the residents complained about the odor, which smelled like toxic wastes, that started Thursday, but the odor was gone by Friday afternoon.

Mangilimutan said the residents especially in the danger zones were already informed about the state of the volcano.

The village leaders and the community-based disaster councils were also told to prepare and be on alert, she added.

She said school officials were also advised to be ready as their institutions will be utilized as evacuation centers, if needed.

The mayor also said that food packs were being readied.

Zeaphard Gerhart Caelian, head of Negros Occidental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Division, said the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has checked the affected area, but has yet to release its findings.

Phivolcs, in its advisory Friday, said it monitored only 10 volcanic earthquakes in the past 24 hours.

On November 15, the agency raised the alert status of Mount Kanlaon from Alert Level 1 to Alert Level 2 after it recorded 279 volcanic earthquakes in the last 24 hours.

The following day, on Thursday, Phivolcs recorded 210 volcanic earthquakes for 24 hours.

Caelian said that even if the volcano's activities have dropped, it remained under Alert Level 2, or in “moderate level of unrest.”

He added that only Phivolcs can lower its alert status, “until such time the volcano is stabilized based on their own parameters.”

Caelian said they coordinated with the Mount Kanlaon National Park superintendent for monitoring of the volcano’s activities.

“We are strengthening our communication. Whatever problems they encounter on the ground, we ask them to relay the information right away because they are within the proximity of the volcano," he said.

He also appealed to the public to be careful when sharing information especially online about Mount Kanlaon to avoid causing panic.

Caelian reminded the public to always verify with the right agencies or authorities whatever information they receive.

Local government units in the province had already prepared a comprehensive contingency plan, in case of major eruption.

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