Cagayan Valley has 4 active volcanoes

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya , Philippines – At least four volcanoes, all lying in northern Cagayan Valley, have been identified as active ones and could erupt anytime, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) said.

According to the MGB, these volcanoes are Mount Smith in northern Cagayan, Mount Tagao, which is within the vicinity of the region’s northern Sierra Madre Mountains, and Mount Dibilas in Cagayan’s Babuyan Island. The other one was identified as Mount Iraya in the island of Batanes, the country’s northernmost province, which lies along the Balintang Channel where the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean meet.

Mario Ancheta, MGB director for Cagayan Valley, said the four volcanoes, being active, may erupt anytime. “Actually, even dormant volcanoes, like Mount Pinatubo in Central Luzon before, may erupt anytime. But while the volcanoes don’t show any signs of possible eruption, people living nearby still have so far nothing to fear,” Ancheta said.

Ancheta said there are also several dormant volcanoes in the region, but “this is actually more of the areas of concern of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology,” (Phivolcs), he said.

Earlier, the MGB had also identified at least 14 towns in the region as highly vulnerable areas to landslide or erosion. These areas are located in the mountain towns of Ambaguio, Kasibu, Kayapa, Santa Fe, Quezon and parts of Aritao in Nueva Vizcaya; and Cabarroguis, Maddela and Nagtipunan in Quirino, as well as Isabela’s Pacific coast towns of Palanan, Maconacon, Dinapigue and Divilacan.

Isabela’s central San Mariano town, lying along the foothills of Sierra Madre, was included in the region’s geological hazard map as also prone to landslides. Kasibu and Quezon towns, both mountainous areas, have been the site of illegal small-scale mining activities, which, if continued to be left unchecked could cause massive landslides as well as flashfloods in said places, including low-lying areas.

Of the region’s five provinces, Batanes has been identified as most vulnerable, ranked number three to geological hazards throughout the country behind Manila and Benguet.

Nueva Vizcaya and Isabela ranked 21st and 26th, respectively, as to vulnerability to geological hazards among the rest of the provinces in the country while Quirino and northernmost mainland Cagayan were 43rd and 49th, respectively.