Members of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) met on Wednesday, June 5 to discuss the preparedness of the government for possible future explosions of Mt. Kanlaon.
Usec. Ariel Nepocmuceno, Office of Civil Defense, assured that the regional counterparts of the agency works with other government offices and local authorities for for the implementation of appropriate response protocols and possible augmentation of support.
"There are established preparedness and response protocols that serve as guides to address this emergency. Our regional counterparts are there, on alert, to directly assist the local DRRMOs," Nepocmuceno said in a statement.
"We need to be ready. OCD is ramping up its efforts in collaboration with concerned agencies and local authorities for possible prolonged emergency," he added.
Mt. Kanlaon remains under Alert Level 2 status, or moderate level of volcanic unrest.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) raised the alert level status of Mt. Kanlaon after the volcano erupted on Monday, June 3, and produced a five kilometer-high voluminous eruption plume.
PHIVOLCS warns the public from approaching the four-kilometer radius permanent danger zone around Mt. Kanlaon.
