Mayon threatens eruption, lures tourists

FATAL ATTRACTION Tourists love to see the lava flow. “It’s dramatic, like a fireworks show,” says an all-terrain vehicle tour operator near Mayon Volcano, here photographed at Ligñon Hill, Barangay Bogtong, Legazpi City, on Tuesday. Albay Gov. Joey Salceda has declared a state of calamity in the province. MARK ALVIC ESPLANA/INQUIRER SOUTHERN LUZON

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines—“This will boost local tourism…. It’s like a party. People are out at night watching,” said Marti Calleja, who runs all-terrain vehicle tours near Mayon Volcano for as many as 100 tourists per week.

“It’s dramatic, like a fireworks show…. When there’s nothing happening, it’s all dark around here, but now it’s picture-perfect,” Calleja told Agence France-Presse.

Calleja said that when Mayon became active in the past, his clients often requested night tours to see the glowing crater.

Aljon Banares, who works for a backpackers’ inn 12 kilometers from the volcano, was also preparing for more visitors.

“We have more guests in situations like this. Tourists want to see the lava flow,” Banares said.

That may be so, but Albay Gov. Joey Salceda placed Albay province under a state of calamity and ordered the immediate evacuation of 10,500 families, or 51,625 people, in two cities and three towns after volcanologists warned of a dangerous eruption by Mayon Volcano within weeks.

The volcano, famed for its near-perfect cone and brutal volatility, began to stir again with magma rising to the top and small earthquakes rattling deep inside.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised the warning over Mayon to Alert Level 3 on Monday night, meaning a hazardous blast could occur in weeks.

At a joint meeting on Tuesday of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, Salceda said “forced evacuation” would be imposed on residents within the 6-km permanent danger zone (PDZ).

A “compulsory or mandatory evacuation” would also be in effect for those within the 6-8 km “extended danger zone (EDZ),” Salceda said.

The 2,460-meter Mayon has a long history of deadly eruptions. In 1814, more than 1,200 people were killed when lava flows buried the town of Cagsawa.

An explosion in August 2006 did not directly cause deaths, but four months later a passing typhoon unleashed an avalanche of volcanic mud from Mayon’s slopes that killed 1,000 people.

Four foreign tourists and their local tour guide were killed when Mayon last erupted in May 2013. They were on the volcano’s slopes at the time, and Banares said tourists would not be in danger if they acted sensibly.

“We tell our clients that it’s safe as long as they follow the government’s warnings,” Banares said.

Thousands at risk

Official records showed the population at risk within the

6-km zone would be 2,898 families (15,049 persons) from 24 villages in the cities of Tabaco and Ligao and the towns of Malilipot, Camalig and Guinobatan.

The population at risk within the 6-8-km EDZ area would be 7,657 families (36,576 persons) from 25 villages in the same towns and cities.

Hard-headed farmers

Residents will be forcibly evacuated, said Bernardo Alejandro, the regional civil defense director.

He said authorities expected to evacuate almost all of the 50,000 people in the danger zone—a picturesque coconut farming area near the Pacific coast—within three days.

“We’ll have no problems with the 99 percent who will evacuate but there are some who will be hard-headed,” Alejandro said, citing the response to a similar evacuation call in 2009 when some farmers refused to move out.

“They don’t want to leave their houses and their livelihood…. These are coconut and orchid farmers with chickens, pigs and carabaos,” he said.

On Monday night, the local government of Guinobatan evacuated 29 families, composed of 120 people, from Barangay (village) Muladbucad, to the elementary school in the village.

“Alert Level 3 may indicate a possible hazardous Mayon eruption in the coming weeks based on several volcanic quakes recorded by our seismographs,” resident volcanologist Eduardo Laguerta said.

In its bulletin early on Tuesday, Phivolcs said it had recorded 32 volcanic earthquakes and 72 rockfall events over the past 24 hours.

‘Vulcanian eruption’

It noted that “rolling incandescent rockfall” in the uppermost reaches of the Bonga Gully indicated the summit lava dome was breaching the crater on its southeastern side.

Laguerta said that in the past few days, sulfur dioxide emission had exceeded 511 tons per day, at times reaching up to 1,000 tons.

“If Mayon sustains its gas emission of 1,000 tons a day expect an explosion within … four weeks,” Laguerta said.

He said parameters observed on the volcano’s activity showed it would likely be a “Vulcanian eruption.”

According to Phivolcs, Vulcanian-type eruptions are characterized by strong explosions, multiple pyroclastic flows around the volcano and lava flows that cascade down the gullies.

Evacuation shelters

Classes were suspended starting Tuesday afternoon in schools to be used as evacuation centers.

Col. Raul Farnacio, commanding officer of the Army’s 901st Infantry Brigade, told the Inquirer that he had dispatched 27 trucks to speed up evacuation.

Salceda said the province needed financial help from the national government to achieve “zero casualty.” He said the province could only provide for the primary needs of evacuees for about two weeks.

Salceda projected that around P1.5 million would be needed for rice supplies in a day.

He said that the quick response fund of Albay amounting to P20 million was not enough for rice, fuel, medicine, nonrice items and other needs of the evacuees.

Salceda warns of arrest

Based on a projection of the Office of Civil Defense in Bicol, almost P164 million would be spent for evacuees for three months.

Salceda said that after a three-day forced evacuation, he would enforce a 24-hour curfew in potentially hazardous areas.

“Anyone who will go back to their houses even for a minute can be arrested,” he warned.

Locals involved in the tourist industry were expecting Mayon’s latest burst to be a mini-boom.

The area is a draw for visitors who want to see Mayon’s cone, sample the region’s spicy cuisine and visit its beautiful beaches.

Officials say many people venture into the area to farm or live when there is a lull in activity.

40 eruptions

Mayon has erupted more than 40 times over the past 400 years.

Despite the risks, Mayon and its near-perfect cone is a favorite spot for volcano watchers. Most enjoy the occasional nighttime spectacle of the rim lit by flowing lava, viewing from the safety of hotels in Legazpi.

The military’s Southern Luzon Command is carrying out the forced evacuation.

Maj. Gen. Ricardo Visaya, chief of the Southern Luzon Command, said his men will continue enforcing the evacuation of barangays near the volcano.

The 901st Infantry Brigade’s humanitarian and disaster response team under Col. Raul Farnacio is taking the lead in the forced evacuation.

The military has deployed 50 trucks to be used in the forced evacuation, while two Huey helicopters left Legazpi to conduct an aerial survey around Mayon.

Get ready with damp clothes

Residents in areas located northeast of Mayon, such as Sto. Domingo and Malilipot, were told to be ready with damp cloths or masks in case of an ashfall.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said its field office had activated and dispatched its quick response team to coordinate with the local government.

“The DSWD has enough resources to assist the local government units,” said Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman.–With reports from Julie M. Aurelio, Inquirer Research, AFP and AP

RELATED STORIES

Mayon Volcano restive; Alert Level 3 raised

Remains of 4 foreigners killed on Mayon await shipment to Germany, Spain