BACOLOD CITY – Canlaon City in Negros Oriental declared a state of calamity on Tuesday afternoon, June 4, less than 24 hours following the eruption of Kanlaon Volcano on Monday night, June 3.

CANLAON City was placed under a state of calamity due to the eruption of Kanlaon Volcano on Monday night, June 3. (Photo courtesy of Councilor Angel Amador-Soliva)
The city council, in a special session presided over by Vice Mayor Diego Santiago, adopted the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (LDRRMC) recommendation for a state of calamity as the eruption affected several residents in the city and neighboring areas.
“Being an agricultural city, said natural calamity greatly affects the economic living condition of the people, specifically the farmers, thus, there is a need for the local government to exert necessary measures to address and cushion the impact of the volcanic eruption,” the city council said in a resolution.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas said that they will await further notice on how long the city will be placed under a state of calamity.
“In this trying times, we need to be united with one common goal to help the affected constituents of Canlaon,” he said.
Cardenas said the situation in the city is normal as volcanic activity mellows down.
But he said that the restriction within the four-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone is strictly observed.
He urged the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to impose a price freeze on commodities to prevent businesses from taking advantage of the situation while the city is under a state of calamity.