Phivolcs warns tourists of Mayon’s alert level

By Cet Dematera

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has warned tourists this coming Holy Week to avoid prolonged stay at the slope of Mt. Mayon as the volcano is still under alert level one or abnormal.

Paul Alanis, Phivolcs resident volcanologist, said they are not stopping economic activities around Mayon, for as long as people always take the necessary precaution should its abnormal condition worsen.

“While Phivolcs is allowing them to visit the Mayon Resthouse and the Cross Visitation in Barangay Buang in Tabaco City, we are also warning them not to have a prolonged stay, such as putting up tents or camping there. Mayon is still abnormal,” Alanis told Bicol Mail.

Also, since Mar. 14, Phivolcs has been observing faint crater glow and fluctuating sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions.

But Alanis explained that the faint crater glow is still a remnant of the old magma at the upper portion of the summit crater when it last erupted in 2018.

“This faint crater glow is not a fresh material. It is still a leftover of the 2018 eruption. There is nothing to worry yet about the observed faint crater glow,” Alanis explained.

He said that as long as the other parameters remain at the baseline level such as the SO2 and the volcanic earthquakes, Mayon is not yet leading to another eruption.

Mayon had sent some 60,000 families to evacuation centers after it spewed lava, pyroclastic materials and cauli-flower like greyish ash columns in 2018.

Based on its historical accounts, Mayon Volcano has eruption intervals of five- and ten years.