PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assured the public of the government’s preparedness amid renewed unrest in Taal volcano.
Marcos, in an interview with reporters on Thursday, October 3, 2024, said he is closely monitoring the activity of Taal volcano following the recorded minor phreatomagmatic eruption.
“What we have to do is to monitor the situation and continue to see where are the areas kasi not every situation is the same. So how do we adjust? Where are the areas that need special attention? Where are the areas that are okay? So ‘yun ‘yung ginagawa namin ngayon,” Marcos said.
“When the volcano erupts or the storm comes or magka lindol or whatever, they know what to do. It’s part of the SOP (standard operating procedure). The people that we have there know what to do, that’s why I put them there. We just monitor the situation,” he added.
For now, as assessed by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the public has nothing to worry about amid the unrest of Taal volcano.
As of October 3, Taal volcano remains under Alert Level 1, which indicates a low-level unrest.
On Wednesday, October 2, the Phivolcs recorded a phreatic eruption in Taal volcano that lasted for one minute and 40 seconds, as well as a phreatomagmatic eruption that lasted for 11 minutes.
It emitted a short black jetted plume, followed by a 2,400-meter-high steam-rich plume, drifting toward northeast, east-northeast and east-southeast direction.
The agency also observed the upwelling of hot volcanic fluids in the main crater lake, long-term deflation of the Taal caldera, and short-term inflation of the general northern and southeastern flanks of the Taal volcano island.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health again warned individuals residing near Taal volcano about the health risks posed by its phreatic activity. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)