A volcano in the central Philippines erupted early on Tuesday morning, sending a plume of ash 4,000 metres into the sky and prompting calls for local school cancellations.

Kanlaon Volcano, one of 24 active volcanoes in the Southeast Asian nation, erupted in December, prompting the evacuation of surrounding villages.

The area around the volcano on the island of Negros was still under evacuation orders when Tuesday's eruption occurred.

"An explosive eruption is currently occurring at the summit vent of Kanlaon Volcano that began at 5:51 am today," the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement.

The volcano "is producing a voluminous bent plume approximately 4,000 metres tall that is drifting southwest", it said.

Videos posted on social media showed a wide, billowing plume of smoke slowly stretching into the sky.

The level three alert - out of a scale of five - put in place during December's eruption remained unchanged.

In September, hundreds of nearby residents were evacuated after the volcano spurted thousands of tonnes of harmful gases in a single day. (AFP)