Kanlaon Volcano’s unrest affects over 94,000 individuals – DSWD

A vehicle has been stuck in lahar that affected a road in Sitio Tamburong in Barangay Biak-na-bato, La Castellana town in Negros Occidental. Heavy rains on Friday night, May 23, 2025, triggered a lahar flow after rainwater mixed with the volcanic ash from recent eruptions of Kanlaon Volcano. Photo by MJ Guardiano

MANILA, Philippines — Over 94,000 individuals have been affected by the continued unrest of Kanlaon Volcano on Negros Island, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

In the 6:20 a.m. Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) report on Sunday, the DSWD said it recorded a total of 94,228 persons affected, residing across 30 barangays nationwide.

READ: Negros Occidental LGU mulls buying lands for Kanlaon evacuees

Of the total, 5,940 individuals are staying in evacuation centers, while 10,621 have taken shelter elsewhere.

The ongoing unrest of the volcano also caused partial damage to 5,031 houses.

In response, the DSWD has distributed a total of P192,717,635 worth of humanitarian assistance.

According to its 8 a.m. bulletin, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported 10 volcanic earthquakes recorded at Mt. Kanlaon.

The volcano also emitted 1,590 tons of sulfur dioxide on Saturday, July 5, with plumes reaching up to 650 meters high. Kanlaon remains under Alert Level 3, indicating magmatic unrest.

Phivolcs recommended the evacuation of all residents within a six-kilometer radius of the volcano’s summit.

The agency also warned that flying aircraft near the volcano is prohibited. Residents were cautioned about potential hazards such as sudden explosive eruptions, lava flows, ash fall, rockfall, lahar during heavy rains, and pyroclastic flows./mcm