‘Supervised harvesting’ in Kanlaon danger zone allowed
DECEPTIVELY CALM Against the night sky, Mt. Kanlaon looks serene as seen from La Castellana, Negros Occidental, past 8 p.m. of Jan. 11. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, however, cautioned officials and residents near the volcano not to be complacent as Mt. Kanlaon shows signs of another eruption. —ANDREW ALTAREJOS
BACOLOD CITY — Harvesting of sugarcane within the six-kilometer danger zone of Mt. Kanlaon in La Castellana town, Negros Occidental has been allowed.
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said both the regional and municipal Incident Management Teams had joined forces to oversee the harvesting activities of sugarcane farmers in Barangay Mansalanao.
“Task Force Kanlaon has allowed the supervised farming activities in the danger zone between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m.,” it said in a statement.
The move was for the safety of evacuees and to help them sustain their livelihood, particularly during the harvest season.
“Strict monitoring and coordination are in place to ensure the safety of farmers while they conduct their activities,” the OCD said.
Article continues after this advertisementOCD Negros Island Region Director Donato Sermeno said checkpoints had been set up to submit daily reports on the number of farmers who enter and leave the danger zone.
Article continues after this advertisement“So far, all are accounted for. Security is tight in the danger zone,” he said.
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said he was happy the OCD had allowed residents of La Castellana to harvest their sugarcane in the danger zone.
“I’m very happy they (OCD officials) saw the light. That is why some mayors allowed their evacuees from outside the danger zone to return home so they could attend to their means of livelihood,” he said.
Lacson said he was also expecting the paperwork for the P50 million from the Office of the President to be completed so the funds could be used to aid the evacuees in Negros Occidental.
Mayor Rhummyla Nicor Mangilimutan of La Castellana town earlier appealed for help for the food and other needs of evacuees displaced by the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon last Dec. 9, 2024.
She said they needed help to feed at least 4,427 people in evacuation centers over a prolonged period of time.
“The town does not have the resources to spend about P15 million a month for the current evacuees’ food,” she said.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has warned of an abrupt increase in the volcano’s ground deformation that could lead to another sudden eruption similar to the one that occurred on Dec. 9.
It said communities within the six-kilometer radius of the summit crater must remain evacuated due to the danger of pyroclastic density currents, ballistic projectiles and ashfall, lava flows, rockfalls, and other related hazards.
READ: 78-minute long series of ash emissions observed over Kanlaon Volcano
