THE Provincial Disaster Management Program Division (PDMPD) under the Office of the Governor advised Negrenses to check and verify with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) alone the latest updates on Mt. Kanlaon’s abnormal activities.
Zephard Gerhart Caelian, head of the PDMPD, issued the reminder after some people panicked when they learned through social media about the volcanic eruption where a netizen replaced Mt. Kanlaon’s photo of a volcanic eruption in Sumatra, Indonesia in 2013.
“Such mistake created panic so we should avoid that. We should always check and rely on the advisory of Philvolcs,” Caelian said.
He said that based on the 24-hour monitoring, Philvolcs recorded 29 volcanic quakes at Mt. Kanlaon after an ash eruption happened in December 27.
Alert level 1 remains in Kanlaon as it continues to show abnormalities.
Caelian said that the ashfall has reached Nueva Valencia, Guimaras.
Earlier, Caelian also advised Negrenses whose localities are affected by the ashfall from Mt. Kanlaon to wear masks and if possible, stay at home.
At 1:29 p.m. on Sunday, Mt. Kanlaon spewed ash that reached as high as 4,500 meters above its summit, the Phivolcs said.
Seismic records showed that an eruption occurred from the active crater, and came with a rumbling sound heard in Barangays Cabagnaan, La Castellana, and Sitio Guintubnan of Barangay Ara-al, and Barangay Yubo in La Carlota City.
Traces of ashes were also monitored in Sitio Guintubnan, Barangay Ara-al and Barangay La Granja, La Carlota City, and Pontevedra town.
Caelian had said there’s no need to panic as the ash eruption was just a “phreatic activity,” but he also warned that the sulphur from the ashfall is hazardous to a person’s health since it is carcinogenic, or can cause cancer, and can also trigger asthma and other pulmonary problems.