Ash emissions recorded in Kanlaon

MANILA, Philippines — State volcanologists yesterday recorded a series of ash emissions at Kanlaon Volcano on Negros Island, generating grayish plumes that rose 1,200 meters above the summit.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the first emission lasted five minutes and occurred from 6:24 to 6:29 a.m.

Another event occurred from 12:58 to 1:45 p.m., which generated a grayish plume that rose 900 meters above the summit crater and drifted south.

Phivolcs director Teresito Bacolcol said that ash emission activities are expected as Kanlaon is under Alert Level 2 or moderate level of volcanic unrest.

“There’s a pressure building up beneath the volcano that may have  been caused by a steam or hydrothermal activity, wherein water heats up and explodes,” Bacolcol said.

“When steaming occurs, ash plumes are produced. These are fragments of volcanic materials that were pushed up and joined together during the steaming activity,” he added.

Bacolcol said that monitoring of the volcano’s parameter trends continues.

Among these trends are the escalation of volcanic unrest including earthquakes, stronger and more frequent eruptions, persistent ash emissions, and ground deformation and inflation.

Kanlaon has been under Alert Level 2 since July 2025.

Entry into the four-kilometer-radius permanent danger zone and flying of an aircraft close to the volcano are not allowed due to the possibility of sudden steam-driven or phreatic eruptions and precursory magmatic activity.

Meanwhile, a two-minute minor phreatomagmatic eruption occurred at Taal Volcano in Batangas yesterday.

Phivolcs said the eruption occurred from 10:20 to 10:22 a.m. and generated a plume that rose 300 meters from the crater.

Taal has been under Alert Level 1 since July 2022.

Entry into the Taal Volcano Island, particularly at the main crater and Daang Kastila fissures, and boating or fishing in Taal Lake are prohibited due to the possibility of sudden steam-driven and phreatic eruptions, volcanic quakes, ash emission and rock falls.