Stronger Kanlaon eruptions still possible, Phivolcs warns

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned that the eruption of Kanlaon Volcano on Tuesday, April 8, could still be followed by more explosive activities.

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In a televised briefing, Phivolcs director Teresito Bacolcol said although no significant increase in volcanic activity has been observed since the eruption, it is still too early to rule out further eruptions.

"The eruption earlier has not been followed by any further activity. We also haven't seen any uptick in our monitoring parameters after the eruption. But it's too early to come up with any conclusion because the eruption had just happened," Bacolcol said.

He added that the explosion on April 8 was similar to the eruption on Dec. 9, 2024.

"This could still be followed by similar short-lived explosive eruptions or even stronger ones. In fact, the eruption we saw this morning is a repeat of what happened on Dec. 9. The height of the ash column was almost the same, reaching four kilometers," Bacolcol added. The Dec. 9 eruption, marked by magmatic activity, saw an ash plume rising 3,000 meters high with pyroclastic flows.

The latest eruption, which lasted from 5:51 a.m. to 6:47 a.m., released an ash column that reached four kilometers from the volcano's summit vent.

Ashfall in several barangays

Ashfall was reported in several barangays in the town of La Castellana, La Carlota City, and Bago City, all located in the province of Negros Occidental.

Bacolcol confirmed that the Kanlaon Volcano remains at Alert Level 3 (High Level of Volcanic Unrest), indicating that a hazardous eruption is still possible.

He said most of Kanlaon Volcano's previous eruptions have been phreatic, where water interacts with hot volcanic materials such as rocks or gases.

However, lava flow, though rare, remains a possibility, with the last occurrence recorded in 1902.

"Kanlaon Volcano is still on Alert Level 3 and lava flow is a possible scenario. This is one of the scenarios we're monitoring, but in the past, lava flow only occurred in 1902," Bacolcol said.