DUMAGUETE CITY, Oct. 15 -- Five barangays in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental are closely being monitored amid the recent ash emissions of Mt. Kanlaon, a city official involved in disaster response said Wednesday.

Seth Bariga, information officer-designate of Canlaon City's Emergency Operations Center (EOC), told the Philippine News Agency that trucks are on standby to evacuate residents of these barangays if necessary.

The five barangays - Masulog, Lumapaw, Pula, Malaiba, and Linothangan - are outside Mt. Kanlaon's four-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) but within its six-kilometer extended PDZ.

Bariga said parts of Masulog and Pula are within the PDZ, which remains off-limits to this day. Residents of these areas are currently resid...