Over P40-M aid to be distributed to Negros communities amid Kanlaon eruption

Over P40 million worth of humanitarian and cash aid is set to be distributed to the communities in Negros Island affected by the explosive eruption of Kanlaon Volcano on Monday evening.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) would shell out P20 million each, to be sourced from their social amelioration programs, the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program and the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers, respectively.

At least P4 million worth of food packs, meanwhile, would be drawn from the Office of Speaker Martin Romualdez's Disaster Assistance Fund.

"By providing these food packs, we aim to meet the urgent needs of our communities and ensure no one goes hungry during this difficult time," the House chief said.

Romualdez, who facilitated the funds, said the overall assistance would be divided squarely to the first and fourth districts of Negros Island, which were adversely hit by the explosion.

Situated on the central island of Negros, Kanlaon erupted explosively at 6:51 p.m. on Monday, sending a massive plume of ash, gas, and steam five kilometers (three miles) into the sky, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.

The eruption lasted six minutes and was followed by a relatively strong volcano-tectonic earthquake.

The eruption produced a "voluminous and incandescent plume that rapidly rose to 5,000 meters above the vent and probable short pyroclastic density currents approximately two to three kilometers down the southern and southeastern slopes."

Communities on the volcano's western slopes reported ashfall and a strong sulfur smell.

The Kanlaon, among the 24 active volcanoes in the archipelago nation, is currently under Alert Level 2.

Level 2 indicates "increasing unrest," driven by shallow magmatic processes that could eventually lead to further explosive eruptions or even precede hazardous magmatic eruptions.

Phivolcs advised residents of the province to cover their nose and mouth with a damp, clean cloth or dust mask.

Aircraft are also not encouraged to fly close to the volcano's summit as the ash from any sudden eruption can be hazardous.