MANILA – Raising Mayon Volcano’s alert status to Level 3 is unlikely for now, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Friday.
“As of today, we are not seeing clear and sustained indicators to raise the alert to Level 3,” Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol told the Philippine News Agency.
Phivolcs recorded 43 rockfall events at Mayon Volcano from 12 a.m. Jan. 1 to 12 a.m. Jan. 2, slightly lower than the 47 events recorded from Dec. 31, 2025 to Jan. 1.
“If we observe an escalation of parameters, we may raise the alert level to 3. This will be assessed on a day-to-day basis,” Bacolcol said.
Phivolcs raised Mayon’s alert status from Level 1 (low-level unrest) to Level 2 (increasing/moderate level of unrest) on Thursday due to a sharp increase in rockfall events and continued inflation of the volcano’s edifice.
Bacolcol said the increased rockfalls were caused by the upward movement of hot material inside the volcano, which destabilizes the summit dome and older lava deposits.
Because of Mayon’s steep slopes, these materials easily break off, resulting in rockfall events, the Phivolcs chief explained. Such activity indicates internal unrest and could lead to increased rockfalls and pyroclastic density currents. (PNA)