THE Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo) conducted inventory of Search and Rescue (SAR) trained personnel and equipment at Camp Alfredo Monteliano Sr. on June 23.
The preparation was made after the recent activities of Mt. Kanlaon, where the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded 136 tectonic quakes during their 24-hour monitoring last June 22.
A platoon of 32 personnel are being prepared by Nocppo headquarters ready to be deployed in case the situation intensifies.
Aside from these, the 1st and 2nd NOCPMFC have prepared one platoon each, while the nearby police stations, which are in proximity to Mt. Kanlaon, were directed to ready one SAR team each for the said purpose.
Colonel Romy Palgue, officer-in-charge of Nocppo, said these SAR personnel will be deployed to help the affected Negrenses when the alert level requires mandatory evacuation.
"I have directed the stations to coordinate with their local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Councils and local government units to plan out as early as now their courses of action likewise for them to revisit their contingency plans," said Palgue.
As of Thursday, June 25, Kanlaon Volcano's seismic monitoring network recorded 44 volcano-tectonic earthquakes on the western flanks during the 24-hour observation period, the Phivolcs said.
Moderate emission of white steam-laden plumes that rose 200 meters before drifting northwest was observed. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission was measured at an average of 237 tonnes/day on 24 June 2020.
Ground deformation data from continuous GPS measurements indicate a slight deflation of the lower and mid slopes since January 2020. Short-term electronic tilt monitoring on the southeastern flanks recorded continuing deflation on the lower slopes but inflation on the mid slopes since April 2020.
These parameters indicate that hydrothermal or magmatic activity is occurring beneath the edifice, said Phivolcs.
Kanlaon Volcano is at Alert Level 1, which means that it is in an abnormal condition and has entered a period of unrest.
The local government units and the public are strongly reminded that entry into the four-kilometer radius Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) must be strictly prohibited due to the further possibilities of sudden and hazardous steam-driven or phreatic eruptions.
