The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) on Sunday, January 26, lowered the status of Taal Volcano to Alert Level 3 from Alert Level 4.
The state volcanologist cited the decreasing activity of the volcano in lowering the alert level.
“Taal’s activity has generally declined into less frequent volcanic activity, decelerated ground deformation of the Taal Volcano caldera and Taal Volcano island, edifice, and weak steam gas emissions from the main crater,” Phivolcs said in a statement.
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However, Phivolcs clarified that the lowering of Taal’s alert status does not indicate that volcano’s unrest has stopped or the possibility of hazardous eruption has waned.
“Should an uptrend or pronounced change in monitored parameters forewarn a potential hazardous explosion, the Alert Level may be raised back to Alert Level 4,” Phivolcs stressed.
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Phivolcs advised local government units (LGUs) to assess areas outside the seven-kilometer radius for damages and road accessibilities and to strengthen preparedness, contingency and communication measures in case of renewed unrest.
Meanwhile, the entry inside the Taal volcano island and seven-kilometer danger zone remain prohibited.
