The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said Thursday that the phreatomagmatic plume activity of Taal Volcano was not similar to its January 2020 eruption.
Taal Volcano has spewed ash and steam during its 2020 eruption.
In a virtual briefing, PHIVOLCS said that the magma below the volcano was de-pressurized.
PHIVOLCS Director Renato Solidum said that the volcano will continue to emit sulfur dioxide. He said that future eruptions will be hard to predict.
“Nasa Alert Level 3 tayo at ‘yung pacing ng activity ng Bulkang Taal… Hindi mabilis kumpara sa last year. So ibig sabihin mas nag de-degas ang magma. Mas maiigi nga ‘yan para ‘yung explosion ay hindi masyadong malaki,” he said.
“’Yung scenario na puwede natin makita, puwedeng ganyan lang muna o puwede rin namang mag-escalate. Pero so far wala tayong nakikitang kakaiba doon sa pamamaga ng bulkan,” Solidum added.
As many as 1,282 individuals or 317 families were evacuated due to the Taal Volcano eruption threat, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Friday.
The NDRRMC said that the number of evacuees can grow to 14,495 people or 3,523 families due to the volcano’s activity.
The families are currently staying in 11 evacuation centers.
“The volcano island is of course off-limits and the high-risk brgys naman po are being evacuated by the local government units based on the recommendation of PHIVOLCS,” NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal told reporters.
Poblacion and Sinturisan in San Nicolas; Gulod, Buso Buso, Bugaan West, and Bugaan East in Laurel; Subic Ilaya, Banyaga, and Bilibinwang in Agoncillo; Apacay in Taal; Luyos and Boot in Tanauan City; and San Sebastian in Balete were some of the barangays affected by the eruption.
Timbal added that the municipality of Agoncillo in Batangas has started evacuation activities as early as 5 PM last Thursday.
The local government of Laurel also evacuated residents from high-risk barangays.
