DENR marks Mt. Kanlaon permanent danger zone

DEMARCATION POINT. The first flag marking the four-kilometer radius of the permanent danger zone around Mt. Kanlaon installed in the area of Barangay Biak na Bato, La Castellana, Negros Occidental on Oct. 16, 2024. More flags will be installed along the demarcation points in the coming months, the Office of Civil Defense-Western Visayas said in a statement on Sunday (Nov. 3). (Photo courtesy of PENRO-Negros Occidental)

BACOLOD CITY – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has installed the first flag to delineate the four-kilometer radius of the permanent danger zone (PDZ) around Mt. Kanlaon in Negros Island.

The development was announced by the Office of Civil Defense-Western Visayas (OCD-6) on Sunday as the active volcano remains under Alert Level 2 (increasing unrest) after its explosive eruption on June 3.

In a statement, the OCD-6 said the initiative is part of the efforts of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC)-6 Incident Management Team to “enhance community safety in the event of volcanic alert escalation at Mt. Kanlaon.”

The flag installation in the area of Barangay Biak na Bato in La Castellana, Negros Occidental on Oct. 16 was led by Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office head Joan Nathaniel Gerangaya and Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park (MKNP) protected area superintendent Dennis Piñosa.

The OCD-6 said more flags will be installed along the demarcation points in the coming months.

The project cost is funded through the collaborative efforts of the OCD-6, Negros Occidental provincial government, and local government units located in the vicinity of Mt. Kanlaon.

On Oct. 22, the RDRRMC-6 approved Resolution 7, recommending the declaration of the four-kilometer radius PDZ set by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology as a strict protection zone (SPZ).

SPZ means an area shall be closed to all human activity except for scientific studies and/or ceremonial or religious use by indigenous cultural communities/indigenous peoples.

Data from the MKNP Protected Area Management Board showed that about 60 households are situated within the PDZ, based on a map.

The La Castellana municipal government accounts for 15 families — 10 in Barangay Masulog and five in Barangay Biak na Bato.

OCD-6 Director Raul Fernandez, who also chairs the RDRRMC-6, earlier said that after the approval of the resolution, they discussed strategies that would involve the relocation of families living within the PDZ.