Amid scares, Mt. Mayon stays at alert level 2, says Phivolcs

LEGAZPI CITY –– While Taal Volcano in Batangas continues to erupt, Mount Mayon remains at alert level 2 (increasing unrest) according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Paul Karson Alanis, Mayon Volcano Observatory in Albay officer-in-charge, said in a message to the Inquirer that “the steaming and the emission of white smoke from its crater is just a normal sign for an active volcano.”

Alanis made the statement amid social media scares of Mayon volcano erupting after Taal.

He said tight monitoring on Mayon volcano is being done 24 hours every day by Phivolcs personnel.

Alanis added that the equipment/gadgets stationed around Mt. Mayon were “fixed immediately after the wrath of Typhoon Tisoy.” He said the radios and antennas placed in Muladbucad village in Guinobatan, in the towns of Manito and Malinao, and at Mayon Resthouse in Tabaco sustained damage, but restored days after Tisoy hit Albay in December 2019.

“Every day all parameters are evaluated and the appropriate alert levels are hoisted over monitored volcanoes,” he said.

Alanis stressed that the public should not enter the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone for safety./lzb