By Roy Ramos
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines
The Philippines' most famous volcano may erupt within the coming weeks as the national Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) announced Thursday an increase in the seismic activity of Mount Mayon in the past 24 hours.
In its media advisory, Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum said the volcano - renowned for its perfect cone - in the northern province of Albay remains under Alert Level 3, meaning that a hazardous eruption is possible within weeks.
Meanwhile, Rizza Villeza, science research specialist at Phivolcs' Volcano Monitoring Division, advised Albay residents to avoid entering the six-kilometer permanent danger zone (PDZ) around the volcano and the seven-kilometer extended danger zone (EDZ) on the southeastern flank due to the continuing threat of rockfall events, landslides and sudden explosions that may generate lava flow.
"We recommend no habitation within the PDZ and EDZ as the public should be aware and observe safety,” she stressed, referring to the increasing number of tremors around the volcano as a sign of it's heightened restiveness.
She revealed the agency's seismic instruments had detected 45 volcanic quakes and 277 rockfall occurrences around Mount Mayon between 7 a.m. Tuesday and 7 a.m. Wednesday - indicating that magma has been intruding toward the surface, potentially causing a large eruption.
She added that the volcano released 750 tons of sulfur dioxide over the past 24 hours - significantly above the normal base rate of 500 tons per day.
The country's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that a total of 4, 472 families - or 21,092 people - were evacuated from 19 villages within the danger zone. They are currently sheltered at 18 evacuation centers.
NDRRMC noted there are three cities and five towns in Albay located within the PDZ, where classes have been suspended since Tuesday along with those in the EDZ.
The Department of Social Services and Development has already provided some eight million pesos (nearly $180,000) of food packs to the evacuees as the government is bracing for another major calamity following two typhoons that brought destruction and the loss of lives in July and September.
Eleven persons were killed when Typhoon Rammasun hit the Philippines, and three others perished in a ferry disaster caused by Kalmaegi last week.
Mount Mayon last erupted in May 2013, killing four European mountain climbers and a Filipino guide.
While an eruption in August 2006 did not result in any direct deaths, a typhoon the following December caused landslides of volcanic mud to claim 1,000 lives.
The volcano’s longest eruption lasted seven days in 1897, killing 100 people, and minor eruptions were recorded in 1984, 1993, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
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