ILOILO City – More than 400 schools across Western Visayas suspended classes on Tuesday, December 10, as a precautionary measure following the eruption of Mount Kanlaon, which caused ashfall in several areas.
According to the Department of Education (DepEd) Region 6, 424 schools shifted to alternative delivery modes of learning, affecting 213,093 students.
Below is the breakdown of affected schools and learners per Schools Division Office (SDO):
* Bago City – 47 schools, 36,700 learners
* Guimaras – 53 schools, 21,236 learners
* Himamaylan City – 56 schools, 28,195 learners
* Iloilo Province – 98 schools, 37,968 learners
* La Carlota City – 30 schools, 17,624 learners
* Negros Occidental – 139 schools, 71,209 learners
* San Carlos City – one school, 143 learners
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported that ashfall affected 26 towns and cities in Western Visayas and the Negros Island Region. Areas experiencing significant ashfall include:
* Negros Occidental – La Carlota City (barangays Ara-Al, Yubo, San Miguel, La Granja, Cubay, Haguimit); La Castellana (barangays Biak-na-Bato, Mansalanao, Cabagna-an, Sag-ang, Masulog); Bago City (barangays Mailum, Ilijan, Ma-ao, Binubuhan); Murcia (Barangay Minoyan); Hinigran, Valladolid, Pulupandan, Pontevedra, San Enrique, and Moises Padilla
* Negros Oriental – Canlaon City (Barangays Mananawin, Masulog, Pula)
* Iloilo – Tigbauan, Iloilo City, Igbaras, Miag-ao, Oton, Guimbal, and Pavia
* Antique – San Jose de Buenavista, Belison, San Remigio, and Patnongon
* Guimaras – San Lorenzo, San Miguel, Nueva Valencia, and Sibunag
The eruption occurred at 3:03 p.m. on December 9 and lasted nearly four minutes.
The event, detected by 13 stations of the Kanlaon Volcano Network and several stations of the Philippine Seismic Network, prompted PHIVOLCS to raise Alert Level 3 (Magmatic Unrest) over the volcano.
Communities within a six-kilometer radius of the summit crater were advised to evacuate due to life-threatening hazards, including pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), ashfall, lava flows, and rockfalls.
Authorities also warned of potential lahars and sediment-laden streamflows during heavy rains, particularly in barangays previously affected by such conditions in June 2024.
Civil aviation authorities have cautioned pilots to avoid flying near the summit due to the risk of ash plumes, which can endanger aircraft.
Local government units and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) councils are urged to remain vigilant, monitor conditions, and prepare communities for possible worst-case scenarios./PN
