Legazpi mayor lures tourists to Mayon

LEGAZPI CITY — It’s hot, it’s live and it’s free.

Mt. Mayon continues to put up a show, as lava and rocks rolled down its slopes for the fifth straight day yesterday, prompting the mayor of the city at the foot of the volcano to invite more tourists to enjoy the spectacle.

Since the volcano began spilling lava on Friday, tourists have been arriving in droves, most of them from neighboring towns and provinces.

"The hotels are already 60 to 70 percent filled," Legazpi Mayor Noel Rosal told dzBB, but gave no figures.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported that advancing lava flow reached 1,000 meters downslope from the summit, while fragments of rolling red-hot boulders were falling as far as 3,000 meters away.

Scientists reported though that there were fewer tremors — only 100 short harmonic tremors were detected in the past 24 hours — but the lava continues to advance.

"There was heavy rain yesterday, so it is possible that the rain caused the lava to crust, chilling the surface and temporarily hardening it and affecting the flow. But this will not stop the advance of lava after a few hours," resident volcanologist Eduardo Laguerta said.

Lava blocks, he added, had tumbled in the direction of the Basud channel in Barangay Sto. Domingo and Miisi in Daraga town although these were not yet in the form of lava flows that are present at the Bonga Gully facing Legazpi City.

"If you noticed, the recent lava flows are brighter and more luminous than the lava fragments and trickles in the past days. This means that the volume of lava being ejected from the crater of Mayon is fresher and greater as compared to the earlier flows," Laguerta told the STAR.

A moderate volume of white steam was also seen rising from the volcano’s crater yesterday morning.

Authorities have barred people from the six-kilometer danger zone around the peak of the volcano, which was extended to seven kilometers on the southeastern slope where most of the lava and debris have been rolling down.

Evacuation plans have been put in place in case of a major eruption.

"The overall assessment of Mayon volcano remains at alert level 3. This means that lava extrusion may shift to explosive eruption, which could generate pyroclastic flows within weeks should there be rapid rate of supply of magma," the Phivolcs bulletin said.

Malacañang, meanwhile, gave assurances that authorities are prepared to address Mayon’s possible major eruption.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye Jr. said the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) and local governments are on top of all disaster preparedness measures to ensure the safety of the residents who may be directly affected by the volcanic activity.

"Preparedness and coordination among concerned government agencies, local government units and the communities would be key to maintaining a zero-casualty rate in the event of a major volcanic eruption," Bunye said.

Bracing for the worst, the NDCC has activated its military-led "Task Force Mayon" to help assist residents in affected areas in the event of a major eruption.

In a disaster conference yesterday at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, NDCC chairman and Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz urged over 4,300 farmers not to venture anymore within the six-kilometer danger zone.

Task Force Mayon, composed of a battalion of soldiers from the 9th Infantry Division, along with local disaster coordinating councils, has been activated to oversee the welfare of affected residents.

Aside from assisting local residents, the task force will be tapped to forcibly evacuate hard-headed residents out of harm’s way.

Cruz, at the same time, urged farmers to start evacuating to safer areas due to monitored signs of a forthcoming major eruption.

Mayon’s most violent eruption in 1814 killed more than 1,200 people and buried Cagsawa town in mud. A 1993 eruption killed 79.

Bunye said concerned agencies are now making contingency plans for the safe and swift evacuation of residents near the slopes.

"We appeal to residents and travelers to adhere to the off-limit zones and to abide by the contingency measures being implemented by the authorities," he said.

For his part, Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. gave assurances that there are enough calamity funds from the national government to address the needs of the province in the event of a major eruption.

Meanwhile, alert level 2 remains hoisted over Bulusan volcano in the neighboring province of Sorsogon yesterday as monitoring instruments detected three volcanic quakes while light to moderate steaming of up to 200 meters above its crater was observed. — AP, Cet Dematera, Paolo Romero, Sheila Crisostomo Jaime Laude