The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said it is currently monitoring four volcanoes in the country for its supposed abnormal conditions.
The agency said this in a budget hearing at the Senate.
The volcanoes include Taal in Batangas, Mayon in Albay, Bulusan in Sorsogon, and Kanlaon in Negros Island.
“At Alert Level 1, all the four mentioned volcanoes earlier can actually have a steam-driven explosion… people then should not go inside their danger zones,” Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum said during the Senate hearing of the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) proposed 2021 budget.
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Solidum said that Taal has decreased its activities since its eruption last January, but there has been a noticeable change in the recent weeks.
“Nakita namin na namamaga ulit so we have to continuously monitor it,” he said.
The situation is also similar in Mayon Volcano. “Mayon Volcano also is slightly again inflating from its base,” Solidum explained.
The agency explained that despite the impending budget cuts, the monitoring activities of Philvolcs will not be hampered. However, it admitted that it will slow down the modernization of its facilities and equipment.
“It will not affect current monitoring. The main issue is we will slow down in terms of modernizing or putting up more stations,” Solidum said.
For 2021, the government has allotted Php462 million for Philvolcs. This is lower by Php133 million from last year.
The Philippines is located at the Pacific Ring of Fire which means that the country is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activities.
