Alert level at Taal raised

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) yesterday raised the alert level at the Taal volcano to 2, saying the present activity at the volcano could lead to an eruption.

Phivolcs issued a bulletin yesterday advising the public to stay away from the main crater, the Daang Kastila trail and Mt. Tabaro, site of the deadly eruption in 1965.

These areas, Phivolcs said, “are strictly off-limits because sudden hazardous steam-driven explosions may occur and high concentrations of toxic gases may accumulate. Breathing air with high concentration of gases can be lethal to humans, animals and even cause damage to vegetation.”

“With this alert status, the present activities could eventually lead to an eruption,” it added.

The volcano monitoring bureau added that magma has also been intruding toward the surface.

Phivolcs added the entire island where the volcano is situated is a permanent danger zone and any settlement is strictly prohibited.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) also declared the areas surrounding the volcano off-limits to local and foreign tourists.

NDRRMC executive officer Benito Ramos said the Daang Kastila, an uphill trail toward the volcano’s crater, and Mt. Tabaro have been closed to all visitors.

The NDRRMC increased its level of disaster preparedness in and around Taal lake to alert level 2 following the recommendation of Phivolcs.

“There is no order yet of evacuation but we are doing all these disaster preparation (measures) because the volcano is showing signs of an imminent eruption,” Ramos said.

In the event of an eruption, several coastline municipalities around Taal lake in Batangas, Tagaytay City in Cavite would be affected, Ramos said.

This developed as Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto called a meeting with local officials to draw up an evacuation plan in the event that Taal volcano erupts.