Albay Gov. Joey Salceda. Photo by NOY MORCOSO/INQUIRER.net
LEGAZPI CITY—The cost of keeping Albay villagers away from the danger zones of Mayon Volcano has breached the P100-million mark and is expected to rise further amid signs that the volcano would erupt anytime.
Mayon’s eruption is no longer a question of if but when, according to volcanologists and local officials led by Albay Gov. Joey Salceda. This was why, Salceda said, it had become imperative to keep residents away from the 6- to 8-kilometer-radius danger zone and inside the evacuation centers, no matter how costly this has become.
Tests conducted on Oct. 4 showed that the volcano had inflated by up to 17 millimeters, indicating an increasing buildup of magma, estimated to be 2 million cubic meters, or 80,000 truckloads, Eduardo Laguerta, resident volcanologist of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, told a press briefing on Friday.
But since a gigantic lava dome is clogging the crater, the volcano is expected to grow larger, Laguerta said.
Mayon would not have inflated this much if there was no lava dome blocking the crater, he said. “If the volcano can freely degas, it will not inflate,” he said. “It can’t release the gas from the magma.”
As of Friday, the 26th day since Alert Level 3 was raised, the provincial government had stepped up efforts to keep residents out of the danger zones.
Salceda said the provincial government had spent at least P66 million for the evacuation and the national government had contributed P44 million.
Truckloads of food packs for the evacuees have arrived, accompanied by four Cabinet members—Education Secretary Armin Luistro, Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman, Health Secretary Enrique Ona and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.