MANILA, Philippines — Following Mayon Volcano’s recorded explosive eruption, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) warned of a possible upgrade to Alert Level 4 after continued signs of heightened volcanic activity.
In an interview with state-run media PTV’s “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” program on Monday, PHIVOLCS Director Dr. Teresito Bacolcol said that while the volcano remains under Alert Level 3, volcanic activity has persisted, including a minor strombolian activity observed at dawn lasting 41 seconds with a plume reaching 300 meters above the crater.
“We also monitor what we call RSAM—or Real-Time Seismic Amplitude Measurement—which measures the average strength of recorded seismic signals over a set interval,” he said in both English and Filipino.
“These are the indicators we look at to determine if the situation might escalate—potentially requiring us to raise the alert level to 4. However, based on what we are seeing right now, it remains at alert level 3,” he added.
On October 30, Mayon Volcano had a moderate eruption which prompted the agency to raise the status to Alert Level 3.
