CATBALOGAN CITY — The Mountaineering Federation of the Philippines Incorporated (MFPI), through its local affiliate, the Negros Mountaineering Club, Inc. (NMCI), along with the MFPI National Search and Rescue Team (NSART) and Butlag Banaag Mountaineering Society, Inc., will conduct a relief operation for communities affected by the recent eruption of Mt. Kanlaon on Negros Island.
The NMCI has initiated a fundraising drive, requesting donations of canned goods, rice, noodles, loperamide, and drinking water. These supplies will be distributed to the residents of Sitio Guintubdan and Brgy. Yubo on Sunday, June 9.
MFPI National President Juber Lugas, who also chairs the NSART, announced that all member clubs of the MFPI, through their regional offices in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, have responded swiftly by sending additional cash donations to NMCI. This support will augment the relief operations and increase the number of beneficiaries.
Kanlaon Volcano Erupts, Emitting 5,000-Meter Tall Plumes
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported that on Monday night, Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental erupted, releasing a plume of ash and steam, followed by a strong explosion that alarmed approximately 60,000 residents of Negros Island.
Authorities reported no injuries from the eruption, which began at 6:51 p.m. However, nearly a thousand residents, particularly those in La Castellana, La Carlotta, Canlaon City, and the 4-kilometer permanent danger zone, were forced to evacuate to safe zones.
PHIVOLCS noted that the eruption emitted plumes up to 5,000 meters high. The alert level for Kanlaon Volcano has been raised to Alert Level 2, indicating “increasing unrest,” from the previous Alert Level 1, which signaled a slight increase in volcanic earthquake and steam activity.
As of Wednesday, June 5, reports indicate that roads in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, have been rendered impassable due to widespread lahar flow following the eruption of Kanlaon Volcano.
Following the eruption, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) announced that it is closely coordinating response operations with its regional counterparts in Western Visayas and Central Visayas. The Incident Command System (ICS) in Canlaon City has been activated for Mt. Kanlaon Volcano eruption response.
Expanded Role of MFPI in Disaster Response
President Lugas stated that the MFPI has upgraded its NSART into a Disaster Response Group, which will handle disasters, calamities, emergency assistance, and rescue and relief operations.
“To better assist MFPI clubs that wish to provide aid to victims, we have placed them under NSART Command, which will handle requests for assistance from our members through the VPs,” Lugas said.
He also highlighted that MFPI’s services extend beyond promoting responsible mountaineering to include promoting safety, life-saving measures, and volunteerism.
Lugas emphasized that the MFPI is closely coordinating with relevant government agencies to ensure the swift conduct of relief operations. They have also issued an appeal to the public for donations to assist families in the affected areas.
In addition to the mountaineers, local government units (LGUs) and other non-government organizations have also mobilized their relief efforts.
A Historical Note
Kanlaon, the most active and largest volcano in the Visayas, has erupted over 30 times since 1819. Notably, four of those eruptions occurred on June 3 in different years: 1986, 2003, 2006, and most recently in 2024.
(via Ricky Bautista)
