Authorities have ordered the mandatory evacuation of nearly 2,900 residents living near Mayon Volcano after state volcanologists raised the alert status to Level 3 on Tuesday, Jan. 6, citing an “increased tendency toward a hazardous eruption.”
The Office of Civil Defense in Bicol (OCD-5) confirmed that 729 families, totaling 2,889 individuals, are being moved out of the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ).
The evacuation efforts, supported by Army trucks and local government units, target residents across several Albay municipalities, including Tabaco City, Malilipot, Camalig, Ligao, Guinobatan, and Daraga.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) upgraded the status from Alert Level 2 to 3 following the observation of an “infusive magmatic eruption.”
Experts recorded pyroclastic density currents (PDCs)—fast-moving clouds of hot gas and volcanic debris—extending two kilometers from the summit crater.
“We don’t need to wait for the explosion. We need to evacuate them,” said OCD-5 Director Claudio Yucot.
Under Alert Level 3, PHIVOLCS warns that a hazardous eruption could occur within weeks or even days.
The agency reported that the volcano is currently exhibiting a magmatic eruption of a summit lava dome, with a high risk of lava flows and rockfalls.
In response to the unrest, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has issued a flight ban, prohibiting aircraft from flying close to the volcano’s summit.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has begun preparing food packs for displaced residents, while local officials in Camalig have suspended classes in designated schools to convert them into temporary evacuation centers.
Mayon, known for its near-perfect cone shape, is the most active volcano in the Philippines. Its last major period of unrest occurred in 2023, resulting in months of displacement for thousands of local residents.