Magma continues to build up in Mayon Volcano

LEGAZPI, Philippines – Magma continues to build up inside the lava-spilling Mayon Volcano despite a drop in earthquake activity but any lull in activity could be followed by a bigger eruption, scientists said yesterday.

A hazardous eruption remains possible within days and residents who live near the volcano’s slopes should not be misled into leaving the evacuation centers where they spent Christmas and venturing back to their homes, volcanologist Ed Laguerta warned.

“The number of volcanic earthquakes has gone down, but this is just part of the eruptive cycle of Mayon,” he said.

The number of quakes decreased from 871 recorded during the 24-hour period ending Friday morning to 406 recorded during the next 24 hours, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

Phivolcs said Mayon continued to display a high level of unrest yesterday, with nine ash explosions in the past 24 hours, accompanied by rumbling sounds.

Phivolcs director Renato Solidum said an aerial survey over Mayon confirmed that it is at an intense level of activity.

He said the explosions produced dirty white to brownish ash columns with lava fragments that reached heights from 800 to 1,000 meters above summit.

The seismic network detected 44 volcanic earthquakes and 297 rockfall events related to the detachment of lava fragments at the volcano’s upper slopes, Solidum said.

He said red hot lava continued to flow from the volcano.

Solidum said sulfur dioxide emission rate declined from 8,993 tons on Saturday to 2,304 tons yesterday.

The volcano’s edifice remained inflated despite having spilled more than 26 million cubic yards (20 million cubic meters) of lava over the last two weeks. That means the lava being released is being replaced by magma coming from beneath the volcano.

“We are looking not only at what Mayon is presently exhibiting, because that fluctuates. We are also looking at its past characteristics,” he said, recalling that in 1984, a four-day lull was followed by Mayon’s sudden, big eruption.

Phivolcs still maintained Alert Level 4 at the volcano which means that a hazardous eruption is possible within days.

More than 47,000 people living within a 5-mile (8-kilometer) danger zone around the volcano have fled to evacuation centers. But soldiers are still trying to evacuate several hundred residents who have refused to leave their homes despite the danger, said Capt. Razaleigh Bansawan, a military spokesman.

The 8,070-foot (2,460-meter) volcano known for its perfect cone has erupted nearly 40 times over 400 years, sending people packing for months at a time. But never has it happened during the all-important Christmas celebration, when Filipinos gather with family and friends for traditional meals and songs.

Evacuation centers have been the scenes of daily entertainment for the past week as officials try to keep frustrated residents from sneaking back to their homes. Food, clowns, gifts and games brought cheer to evacuees who spent Christmas in the crammed centers.

No outbreak of diseases in evacuation centers

Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) Assistant Secretary Elmer Punzalan yesterday allayed fears of a disease outbreak in evacuation centers in Albay saying that “the situation is under control.”

Based on the disease surveillance report, some 236 evacuees are suffering from ailments like cough and colds, 67 from acute respiratory infection, 57 from fever, 15 from asthma and 14 from diarrhea.

Punzalan said nine teams of health professionals were dispatched in evacuations centers in Albay to provide medical assistance to thousands of individuals who were displaced by the Mayon volcano eruption.

“There were very few people who got sick,” Punzalan told the regular “Balitaan sa Tinapayan” yesterday.

He said respiratory tract infection, sore eyes and colds are prevalent to evacuees after leaving their residences near Mayon volcano.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said at least nine more evacuation buildings will be constructed in the affected areas next year out of the P500-million grant from Japan and Spain.

“We need to live a normal life even with the presence of Mayon Volcano in our province,” Salceda told The STAR.

Meanwhile, it is no joke to take care of the concerns of displaced residents in Albay as the government spends P1.3 million a day for food for every Mayon eruption since 1993, according to a data obtained by The STAR.

Based on data furnished by the Provincial Disaster Operation Center (PDOC), during the 1993, 2000, 2001, 2006 and 2009 Mayon eruptions, Albay province alone, excluding the own expenses of the affected cities or towns, had spent a total of P6,241,150 in food assistance in a day to the 7,882 families or 39,411 people in five major eruption intervals from 1993 to 2009. – With Helen Flores, Celso Amo, AP