Mayon volcano acting up anew; experts raise alert

MANILA – Mayon Volcano, one of the country’s most active volcanoes in the Bicol Region, is acting up anew, prompting experts to warn residents living near the area to take all the necessary precautions.

At this stage, Alex Baloloy of the  Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) allayed fears, saying that Mayon has not shown any signs of an impending major eruption.

However, Baloloy said Phivolcs is raising the alert based on the “abnormal conditions” that Mayon has been displaying in recent weeks, especially its glowing crater which is visible at night.

Mayon, described as the volcano with the world’s most perfect cone, is located in Albay province in the Bicol Region and has become a major attraction for both local and foreign tourists.

Baloloy explained out that if the recent pattern of Mayon is to be considered, then it is likely to erupt anytime as he justified the  raising of  the alert level from 1 to 2.

Baloloy knows whereof he speaks, having been a resident Philvolcs volcanologist who has been assigned the observe the volcano from the Lignon Hill Observatory near the capital city of Legazpi for the past 20 years.

According to Baloloy, the established patterns of Mayon during its recent eruptions are three to five years, which are considered new when compared to the pattern of five to 10 years dating much earlier.

Phivolcs most recent records showed that the volcano erupted in 1984, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2006.

Based on this, Baloloy said Mayon has an eruption pattern of three to five years from 1993, the year when it claimed the lives of 78 farmers.

Based on the Phivolcs bulletin issued on Monday, Mayon registered at least 18 volcanic earthquakes, with the slopes inflated from four to 10 millimeters.

Baloloy said he and another resident volcanologist, Ed Laguerta, are taking a close look of Mayon’s crater glow to determine whether the a dome is already developing at its 150-meter wide crater.

Due to the Phivolcs alert, Cedric Daep, the chief of the Albay Provincial Safety and Emergency Management Office, disclosed they have already activated the contingency plans, like providing evacuation centers for the victims.

Albay Governor Joey Salceda also warned residents from venturing into the declared “no man’s land,” or at least four kilometers away from the crater.

Salceda said he issued the warning following reports of continuing human activities, mostly of farmers, within the danger zone.

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