BAGO City – The highly anticipated “Lights of Bago” (LOB) grand musical fireworks display, scheduled for January 1, 2025, has been canceled due to increased activity from Kanlaon volcano, the city government announced on December 23.
The cancellation, announced via the city government’s social media platform, The Citybridge, cited public safety concerns as the primary reason.
The statement read: “In light of the prevailing condition of Kanlaon volcano and to ensure the safety of the general public, the City Government of Bago regretfully cancels the grandest musical fireworks show, Lights of Bago 2025, scheduled for Wednesday, January 1, 2025.”
This marks another hiatus for the event, which last held an in-person celebration in 2020 during its 12th year.
As of 12:30 p.m. on December 23, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported increased volcanic ash emission at Kanlaon Volcano.
A notice released by the agency detailed that dark ash began spewing from the volcano’s summit at 11:45 a.m., accompanied by weak low-frequency volcanic earthquakes.
PHIVOLCS stated that the ash plume had reached an altitude of approximately 1.2 kilometers and was drifting northwest. Ashfall is expected in communities northwest and west of the volcano, while other volcanic parameters remain elevated but unchanged.
The volcano remains under Alert Level 3, indicating magmatic unrest and a heightened risk of sudden explosive eruptions. PHIVOLCS warned that life-threatening volcanic hazards such as pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), ballistic projectiles, ashfall, and lava flows could endanger communities within a six-kilometer radius of the summit crater.
Local government units and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) councils were urged to maintain vigilance, especially in monitoring for heavy rainfall that could trigger lahars and sediment-laden streamflows.
PHIVOLCS assured that it is closely monitoring Kanlaon Volcano and will provide updates on any significant developments./PN
