Residents near Mayon’s Bonga gully told to be ready for evacuation

LEGAZPI CITY — Volcanologists alerted residents near Mayon Volcano’s Bonga gully and those in the southeastern side yesterday to be more vigilant and be prepared to move out anytime.

This, as the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), in its bulletin yesterday, reported that a quiet but continuous fresh magma intrusion may result in an eruption anytime.

Seismic instruments detected over the weekend at least two high-frequency and two low-frequency volcanic quakes, accompanied by magma-related low- and high-frequency short duration tremors. This indicates that magma intrusion is actively taking place inside the volcano.

Crater glow was also visible from Saturday night to early yesterday morning.

"Continuing but slow magma intrusion results in small avalanches of lava fragments detached from the lava dome which roll down the Bonga gully," Phivolcs said.

Volcanologist Helma Canon said they have issued an advisory that residents near the Bonga gully and in the volcano’s southeastern side — facing Legazpi City and Sto. Domingo town — be on constant alert and be prepared for evacuation anytime.

Canon said alert level 3 remains in effect because the lava fragments detached from the lava dome have not yet gone beyond the volcano’s six-kilometer permanent danger zone. — Cet Dematera, Felix de los Santos