EDITORIAL- Acting up

Alerts have been raised as the two most active volcanoes in the country showed unrest over the weekend. Authorities must see to it that the alerts are heeded, especially around the permanent danger zones on the volcanoes.

Even during zero alerts, volcanoes can have sudden phreatic explosions of steam and ash without warning. In May 2013, four German mountaineers and their Filipino guide died on the slopes of Mayon when the volcano spewed scalding steam and ash. There was no warning; the explosion trapped 27 foreign mountaineers and their local guides near Mayon’s crater.

Regional tourism officials at the time said mountain climbing was allowed on Mayon because it had been placed under zero alert level by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. But because Mayon is the country’s most active volcano, Phivolcs had also imposed a six-kilometer-radius permanent danger zone from the summit, where entry is strictly prohibited.

Phivolcs reiterated the warning about the permanent danger zone last February as search teams looked for a Cessna plane that had crashed near the volcano crater. The plane was found, unfortunately with all four passengers killed in the crash, but at least the search was not made more perilous by a phreatic eruption.

This time, Phivolcs has raised Alert Level 2 over Mayon, while reporting that Taal Volcano in Batangas is also showing signs of abnormal activity. Taal, the second most active volcano in the country after Mayon, has often forced the evacuation of thousands of people not only on volcano island but also in several towns ringing Taal Lake due to its frequent eruptions and phreatic explosions.

In January 2020, a phreatic explosion on Taal spawned a massive ash cloud that moved toward Metro Manila and shut down the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The ash fall also led to a scramble for face masks in Metro Manila about two months before masking became mandatory to prevent the spread of COVID.

Filipinos are familiar with the destruction and disruptions that volcanic eruptions can cause. With the latest warning about Mayon and Taal again acting up, protocols for safety and preparedness for emergencies must be in place.