Bulusan calms down; 7 volcanic quakes recorded

MANILA, Philippines — Following the sudden phreatic eruption last Sunday that forced dozens of families to evacuate, Mount Bulusan appears to have calmed down.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said only seven volcanic earthquakes were monitored from Monday to Tuesday.

While the volcano is still releasing steam reaching 150 meters high, its level of activity has decreased though its edifice remains inflated.

As of yesterday, Phivolcs said Bulusan remains under Alert Level 1 or low-level unrest category, which means entry into the four-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) is prohibited. Entry into the two-kilometer Extended Danger Zone (EDZ) in the southwestern part of the volcano “without vigilance” is also being barred.

Phivolcs said sudden steam-driven or phreatic eruptions are still possible, which is why the flying of any aircraft close to Bulusan is also disallowed.

Prior to Sunday’s 17-minute eruption, Phivolcs said it recorded 77 volcanic earthquakes, followed by 29 more after the eruption.

“So far, the situation in Bulusan has become peaceful. I suppose that’s the proper term and ashfall has already stopped so cleaning activities had already started with the help of the community and the uniformed services,” National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) spokesman Mark Timbal said in interview over ANC yesterday.

Timbal said evacuees would be allowed to return to their homes as soon as it is safe and cleaning operations have been completed.

Heed authorities

President Duterte on Monday appealed to residents living near the restive Mount Bulusan in Sorsogon to heed the call of the authorities to ensure their safety, assuring them of government assistance.

“I will just reiterate that you – people who are affected there in Sorsogon – especially the barangays which government has forecast (as) the worst scenario, there will be a lot of movement of people. But I’m sure that government can cope up and will be there to help everybody,” Duterte said during his pre-recorded Talk to the People.

“Government is there to help. It has no other job. So kindly just follow instructions. I suppose that the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), other relevant agencies are there by this time,” he added.

In his report to the President, Office of Civil Defense administrator Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad said 446 evacuation centers are available in Sorsogon and, if needed, the neighboring provinces of Albay and Camarines Sur could accommodate additional evacuees.

Jalad said 2,784 families or 13,920 individuals were affected by ashfall, mostly in the municipalities of Irosin and Juban in Sorsogon.

Mandatory or forced evacuation in Irosin will be carried out once the alert level is raised to three or four. Irosin sits on the caldera of Mt. Bulusan and a major eruption will force people to evacuate outside the nine-kilometer danger zone, he said.

Phivolcs raised Bulusan’s alert level from 0 or normal to 1 or low-level unrest following its eruption, which displaced 216 individuals from Barangay Puting Sapa in Juban and affected 3,698 hectares of farmland.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the DOH has prepositioned P17.1 million worth of health commodities such as COVID-19 related supplies and medicine at the Provincial Health Office of the Provincial Department of Health Officer in Sorsogon.

The Bicol Regional Office has also initially distributed hygiene kits, potable water and water containers to affected residents in evacuation centers. Around 200,000 pieces of N95 and N88 masks were also distributed to protect residents from toxic effects of ashfall.

Agri damage

Mount Bulusan’s phreatic eruption has so far resulted in some P20 million worth of damage to agriculture in the province of Sorsogon, according to estimates from the NDRRMC.

“The assessment that was provided was only an initial assessment. So currently, we’re still at P20 million, hopefully it doesn’t go up,” Timbal said, adding that the Department of Agriculture has designated some evacuation sites for livestock and initiated assistance programs for local farmers whose crops had been affected by the ashfall.

Timbal said some 58 families of 216 individuals staying in evacuation centers are receiving food packs, hygiene items, drinking water and other assistance from the local government units and the DSWD.

For its part, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is currently inspecting and monitoring national roads and bridges affected by the phreatic eruption of Mount Bulusan.

DPWH Regional Office 5 director Virgilio Eduarte reported to DPWH Secretary Roger Mercado that maintenance teams have installed warning signs along intermittent portions of Daang Maharlika that have ashfall in the towns of Juban and Casiguran.

“Slow Down signs have been placed in affected highways so that motorists are guided while we also conduct assessment of any damage to our national roads and bridges. To date, there has been no reported damage on our roads and bridges but we will continue to assess and monitor the situation since alert status of Mt. Bulusan has been raised to Alert Level 1 which means it is currently in an abnormal unstable condition,” Eduarte said. – Jose Rodel Clapano, Helen Flores