Trekking, pilgrimage banned at Mt. Kanlaon on Holy Week
Kanlaon Volcano. Screenshot from Phivolcs/Facebook
BACOLOD CITY — Trekking and pilgrimages remain strictly prohibited at Mt. Kanlaon on Negros Island, including this Holy Week.
The Regional Task Force Kanlaon, in a memorandum issued on April 12, reiterated that any pilgrimage and trekking, especially entry into the 6-kilometer Extended Danger Zone are still not allowed.
The Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officers of local governments surrounding Mt. Kanlaon were directed to activate their Incident Management Teams and to immediately place all responders on high alert status to ensure preparedness and rapid response capability.
Mt. Kanlaon is under alert level 3 (magmatic unrest) and the ban on entry into the 6-kilometer expanded danger zone has been in place since December 2024.
The volcano in the past had been a favorite destination of trekkers and mountaineers during Holy Week.
Holy Week has also been the time of year when traditional healers go to Mt. Kanlaon to meditate and gather medicinal plants, amulets, and charms.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has recommended that communities within a 6-km radius of the summit crater remain evacuated due to the danger of potential pyroclastic density currents, ballistic projectiles, rockfalls, ashfall, and other related hazards that could be posed by similar explosive eruptions.
Mt. Kanlaon means “place of Laon,” a powerful female spirit named Laon or “the ancient one,” who was also regarded as the supreme creator deity of most Visayan groups.
READ: Phivolcs: Kanlaon’s ash emissions indicate build up to major eruption
