JUST a day after the elections, the Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Island erupted anew around 2:55 a.m. Tuesday, May 13, 2025, affecting two cities and a municipality in Negros Occidental.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said a moderately explosive eruption occurred at the summit crater of Kanlaon Volcano at 2:55 a.m. and it lasted five minutes.
The eruption generated a grayish voluminous plume that rose approximately 4.5 kilometers above the vent before drifting to the southwest.
Thin ashfall has been reported in the three areas of Negros Occidental include in La Carlota City that affected Barangays Cubay, San Miguel, Yubo and Ara-al.
It also affected the two barangays in Bago City such as Barangays Ilijan and Binubuhan, and another three barangays in La Castellana include Barangays Biak-na-Bato, Sag-ang, and Mansalanao.
The Phivolcs said audible rumbling sounds of the eruption were reported in Barangay Pula, Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, and La Castellana, Negros Occidental, adding that incandescent pyroclastic density currents or PDCs descended the southern slopes within approximately two kilometers of the crater.
Tuesday’s explosion was the fourth eruption of the volcano. The first was recorded in June 2024, December 2024, and followed by another in April 2025.
Phivolcs said Alert Level 3 (magmatic unrest) prevails over Kanlaon, which means that the volcano is in a state of magmatic unrest, with currently increased chances of short-lived moderately explosive eruptions that could generate life-threatening volcanic hazards.
Phivolcs recommended that communities within a 6-km radius from the summit crater remain evacuated due to the danger of pyroclastic density currents or PDCs, ballistic projectiles, ashfall, rockfall and other related hazards.
It added that communities that experience ashfall must take all necessary precautions and use protective masks or wet cloth to prevent ash inhalation, with special attention given to vulnerable persons including the elderly, persons with respiratory or cardio-vascular diseases, expecting mothers and infants.
Local government units were also advised to continue to prepare their communities within the PDC hazard zone for subsequent evacuation in case unrest further escalates and hazardous worst-case explosive eruption becomes imminent.
“Increased vigilance against potential syn-eruption lahars and sediment laden streamflow’s in channels draining the edifice is strongly advised should intense rains occur during eruptive unrest,” the Phivolcs said.
It added that civil aviation authorities must also advise pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit as ash from any sudden eruption can be hazardous to aircraft. (MAP)