Duterte to visit residents affected by Mayon

NEW DELHI – President Duterte will visit the residents affected by the continuing activity of Mt. Mayon after attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – India Commemorative Summit here.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque could not say when the visit would be, adding it would depend on the conditions in Legazpi City.

“I’m not at liberty to say the date, but there’s a tentative date set already for the President to go to Legazpi,” Roque said in a press briefing yesterday in this Indian capital.

“There is a plan but of course everything is subject to whether or not it Roque said the government continues to provide assistance to affected families.

He said almost P29 million worth of assistance has been provided by state agencies and non-government organizations.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) yesterday warned disaster and local officials to brace for stronger eruptions in the coming days as the flowing magma has slowly plugged Mayon’s crater.

Six episodes of intense but sporadic lava fountaining from the summit crater were recorded, lasting nine to fifty-eight minutes on Wednesday.

The explosion was accompanied by loud rumbling and booming sound.

“We have to prepare for another scenario when lava slowly plugs the crater which increases the pressure inside and could trigger a stronger eruption,” Phivolcs director Renato Solidum said.

He said Mayon’s 250-meter crater is slowly being plugged by continuous lava fountaining.

“Although it’s not totally plugged because the lava which has not totally solidified but still hot are blown away during explosion,” Solidum said.

Phivolcs science researcher Pol Alanis said the more frequent lava fountaining is an indication that magma ascending to the crater of Mayon is now taking place at a faster rate compared to the previously observed eruption characteristics of the restive volcano.

“With this, we are not discounting yet the possibility of a major eruption,” Alanis said.

He said a hazardous eruption remains imminent due to the inflated surface of the volcano, which was consistent with magma rising and creating pressure.

“Our instruments are still detecting ground deformation of Mayon’s edifice,” Alanis explained.

Solidum, on the other hand, explained the loud booming sound accompanying Mayon’s eruption is due to gas emitted by the volcano when the crater is constricted.

The whitish ash column is due to the finer ash being ejected while the lower part is darker due to lava fountaining and large portion of lava.

“This is normal in Mayon’s eruption due to a large volume of water vapor accompanying each eruption,” Solidum added.

Lava erupting up to 500 meters high was spilling down the slope, with one lava flow extending three kilometers from the crater. Ash plumes rising up to five kilometers have spread ash onto farms and towns nearby, darkening the skies and forcing villagers to wear masks.

More than 74,000 people are staying in dozens of emergency shelters as Mayon continues to belch lava, ash and superheated gas and rocks.

There have been no reports of injuries, but law enforcers have struggled to keep villagers and tourists from sneaking into the danger zone, which extends eight kilometers from the crater.

Although Mayon has erupted about 50 times in the last 500 years, it has remained popular among climbers and tourists. In 2013, an ash eruption killed five climbers who had ventured near the summit despite warnings.

Officials are also worried the eruption may last months, affecting the education, health and livelihoods of people in its shadow.

Cedric Daep, chief of the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (Apsemo), said additional families were evacuated from Bacacay, Malilipot and Tabaco City after lava fronts and pyroclastic flows were seen facing Albay’s first district.

“Apparently, these residents are gripped in fear every time Mayon spews towering ash plumes, pyroclastic flows and lava fountains, and releases rumblings heard almost as far the urban district of Legazpi City,” Daep said.

Ed Laguerta, Mayon resident volcanologist, said

Alert Level 4 remains in effect, indicating a violent eruption may be imminent.

Laguerta also warned local officials on the threat of lahar in the river channels in Guinobatan and Ligao City after the state weather bureau said a low pressure area was spotted off Butuan City on Thursday.

Laguerta said the volume of ash deposited in the third district has increased and together with old deposits could be remobilized during heavy rains.

Livelihood affected

Officials said the number of evacuees as of yesterday morning has reached 18,904 families or 72,091 people from 57 barangays.

The social welfare department prepositioned two tents at the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital for the possible influx of patients. The social welfare and education departments will also build temporary shelter for evacuees to allow students to use school buildings. – Celso Amo, Cet Dematera, Louise Maureen Simeon, Jaime Laude, Rainier Allan Ronda, Rhodina Villanueva, AP