The Philippine Online Chronicles

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has urged residents living around Taal Volcano in Batangas, especially children, pregnant women, and the elderly, to evacuate immediately as more earthquakes have been reported around the active volcano.

The agency said that the Main Crater, Daang Kastila Trail and Mt. Tabaro remain strictly off-limits due to the danger of sudden steam-driven explosions and possible high concentrations of toxic gases.

“Breathing air with high concentration of gases can be lethal to humans, animals and even cause damage to vegetation,” Phivolcs warned.

According to provincial information officer Ginette Segismundo, more families have opted to evacuate following increased volcanic activity. So far, a total of 232 families or 1,373 persons have evacuated to the mainland towns of San Nicolas, Balete and Mataas na Kahoy.

Around 5,000 people live on the volcano island despite the area being a  permanent danger zone (PDZ) wherein residence is strongly discouraged.

Phivolcs director Renato Solidum earlier said in a meeting with the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council of Batangas that a long-term relocation plan for those living around Taal should be enacted.

“Sometimes nature will prevail, the people have to leave so why not invest now in the long term to avoid [endangering] people’s lives?” he said.

Batangas governor Vilma Santos-Recto agreed that a long-term relocation program was needed, but said that this would be difficult. “Even [with the volcano at] alert level 2, the people refuse to evacuate,” she said.

Twenty-one quakes in twenty-four hours

"Twenty-one volcanic earthquakes were recorded by the seismic network around Taal Volcano during the past twenty-four hours. One of these events which occurred at 10:06 am (Sunday) was felt by residents at Intensity II in Barangay Calauit," said Phivolcs on its website.

An earlier quake on Saturday in Barangay Pira-Piraso registered at intensity 3, the strongest quake to be recorded since Phivolcs raised Taal’s alert level earlier this month.

Phivolcs added that the water temperature at the west side of the Main Crater Lake increased slightly from 29.8 to 30.1 degrees celsius.

The volcano remains at alert level 2, which signifies a moderate level of seismic and magmatic activity. Villacorte noted that the agency will not lift the alert level to 3, meaning imminent volcanic eruption, unless the earthquakes grow stronger.