By Gil Francis G. Arevalo, Ephraim Aguilar (Inquirer)
Last updated 02:28am (Mla time) 07/17/2006
LEGAZPI CITY--FLAMING LAVA AND rocks cascaded down the slopes of Mount Mayon, raising risks of a major eruption and putting thousands of villagers on high alert for evacuation.
"If the activities continued in the next few days, we may upgrade the alert level to 4, which means a hazardous eruption is imminent within hours to days," resident volcanologist Eduardo Laguerta said after the volcano gave a frightening "fireworks display" on Saturday night.
"From 6 a.m. on Saturday to 6 a.m. on Sunday, our instruments recorded a total of 111 volcanic tremors, a significant increase from Friday to Saturday's 22," he told Reuters.
An estimated 60,000 people in Albay would be evacuated in the event of a major eruption, disaster officials said.
Legazpi Mayor Noel Rosal said in a radio interview that even wild animals, such as boars and snakes, had begun descending from Mayon and that springs on the lower slopes of the mountain were drying up, all of which were "a bad sign."
Residents in Barangay Padang here feared there would be more lava explosions.
"Mayon appears to be ready to explode but wants to hold everybody in suspense, which is more frightening for us," villager Elvie Echaluce said. "We don't know what will happen next--but we're ready to evacuate anytime."
Jose Mirafuentes, 41, of Barangay Matnog in neighboring Daraga, said that for two days now, he had been awakened by rumbling sounds at night, despite his having drunk more than enough liquor to knock him out.
No sleep
"It was louder on Saturday night to early Sunday morning. I could not sleep anymore," said Mirafuentes, who lives in a village right at the foot of the 2,474-meter mountain, one of the country's 22 active volcanoes.
Mirafuentes was specially worried about his neighbor, Salvador, who was still up in the volcano, making copra. Fortunately, Salvador returned home early morning yesterday.
During the past 24-hour observation period, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) noted a significant increase in the bulge of advancing lava, which rolled down to a distance of about 800 meters from the summit.
Phivolcs said it was a clear indication of the volcano's mounting unrest.
Danger zone
Laguerta said the increase in the rate of the lava flow showed greater pressure at work inside the volcano.
The increase in the lava extrusion rate was accompanied by an increase in sulfur dioxide emissions--from the previous 1,251 tons per day to 2,221 tons--as measured Saturday morning, Phivolcs said.
Its latest bulletin said the lava flows and rock avalanches all occurred within the 6-km radius permanent danger zone, which covers parts of five municipalities with a total population of 3,000 families, or 15,825 people.
Southeast slopes
Laguerta said Phivolcs was keeping close watch on the volcano's southeastern slopes, believed to be the most highly critical area as it is in that direction where lava and other volcanic emissions go.
The area covers some parts of Legazpi and the towns of Sto. Domingo and Daraga.
The danger zone was extended to 7 km on the southeastern slopes on Saturday.
Alert Level 3 has been up since Friday night, which means that volcanic quakes and tremor may become more frequent, the emission of sulfur dioxide may increase.
Alert levels
Laguerta said there was a big possibility of the alert level being raised to 4 if tremors continued within the next few days.
At alert level 3, a dangerous hazardous explosion is considered possible; at 4, it is seen as likely, and at 5, the highest alert, an eruption has occurred with lava flows or ash columns reaching 6 km.
Laguerta said the latest volcanic activities indicated a high probability that there would be a major eruption.
"The development of its activity is quite disturbing for the past days," Laguerta said. "That's why our monitoring is now becoming more critical as far as the contingency plans of the local governments and the OCD (Office of Civil Defense) are concerned."
Watching the fireworks
On the streets of Legazpi, residents watched rocks and other debris cascading from the crater, raising brownish-gray clouds of dust.
The Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council is already coordinating with concerned agencies on the possible evacuation of people residing in barangays Bonga, Padang and Buyuan.
PDCC operating officer Cedric Daep said all concerned areas had been advised of contingency measures.
An eruption warning system is already in place for the quick evacuation of threatened communities, and radio stations have been told to broadcast emergency calls, said operations officer Jukes Nuñez.
Appeals from officials
Gov. Fernando Gonzales renewed his call on those living within the 6-km danger zone to evacuate to avoid possible casualties.
Mayor Rosal advised residents within the zone to gather their livestock and cattle in a safe place as part of evacuation preparations.
"Our farmers in the danger zone should stop for awhile and not enter there because we never know what will happen. There could be a sudden eruption," he said.
Mayon started spilling lava and debris on Friday in what some volcanologists said was the beginning of a silent eruption.
Violent history
A series of eruptions also shook the volcano in 2001, forcing 50,000 people to flee.
Mayon has erupted about 50 times since 1616. Its most violent eruption, in 1814, killed more than 1,200 people and buried an entire town in volcanic mud. A 1993 blast killed 79 people.
The Philippines lies in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where volcanic activities and earthquakes are common.
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