Disaster officials continue to evacuate locals a day after Kanlaon eruption
Metro Manila, Philippines — Disaster management officials race against time evacuating people from within the six-kilometer radius of Mt. Kanlaon on Tuesday, Dec. 10, in light of a possible deadly volcanic eruption.
Some residents, however, said they were told return to their homes after a day of seemingly quieter Kanlaon, a volcano straddling the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental.
READ: Kanlaon Volcano erupts; locals should prepare for worse — Phivolcs
In an interview with NewsWatch Plus, 24-year-old Alexander Tamonan of Bago City said an official from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has advised them that it is safe to return to their communities.
The Tamonan family sought shelter at Bago City Elementary School on Monday evening and would stay there until Wednesday. Other families were sleeping in tents set up at the nearby Manuel Y. Torres Memorial Cultural Center and Coliseum.
Evacuees have received food, drinking water, face masks, and some clothes.
“Sabi daw nila safe na daw… Pero maging ano daw kami vigilant daw na kapag nag-alert level 3 daw ulit, ‘yun na po ulit mag-evacuate na daw ulit,” he said.
[Translation: They said it’s already safe but we should still be vigilant in that once there’s an alert level 3 again, we need to evacuate again.]
He also said some teachers informed affected families that they could still stay in the evacuation center.
“Iba po ay babalik doon, iba po magsi-stay dito. So hati po kami. Kasi po yung problema, kasi kapag nag-stay kami daw dito, hindi pa daw mabigay nila lahat ng pangangailangan po namin,” he said.
[Translation: Others are set to return, others will stay. The problem, they said, is that if we stay here, our needs will not be met.]
Joel Erestain, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Central Visayas director, denied such advice. He added that he was with NDRRMC officials on the way to Bago City.
“That's not the instructions that we're getting right now. In fact, pinapatuloy pa po namin silang mag-evacuate muna kasi medyo delikado rin talaga [we let them stay in evacuation centers because the situation is dangerous],” Erestain told NewsWatch Plus in an interview.
RELATED: Phivolcs sees two types of possible destructive Kanlaon eruption
Erestain said they might let other officials investigate what happened but they are more focused on making sure people are safe.
“Ang [The] priority is to give food to those who are in the evacuation centers para ma-entice po natin ang mga tao na umalis sa kanilang mga bahay. Hindi po biro kasi nangyayari sa Mt. Kanlaon [to entice them to leave their houses. What is happening at Mt. Kanlaon is no joke],” he said.
Monday’s eruption prompted the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) to raise the Kanlaon warning to Alert Level 3. A number of areas encountered ash fall.
Alert Level 3 requires evacuation of residents within the six-kilometer radius from the summit crater.
As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, the OCD said its regional offices reported that around 9,870 people from Western Visayas and 247 individuals from Central Visayas have been evacuated.
The OCD on Monday said around 87,000 people require urgent evacuation.
When asked whether evacuees would stay in temporary shelters until Christmas, Erestain said: “Sad to say, but yes po. There's a possibility… Kakaiba po kasi ang attitude o pag-uugali o behavior ng bulkan [The volcano’s attitude is really strange].”
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro asked local government units to marshall those returning to the six-kilometer danger zone.
He also appealed to affected residents for cooperation.
