Alert level 2 raised in Mayon

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

January 2, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines —   State volcanologists yesterday raised the alert level of Mayon Volcano in Albay from 1 to 2 due to a sustained increase in rockfall events over the past two months.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said that rockfall events since November indicated a heightened volcanic unrest.

Phivolcs said the highest daily rockfall count was recorded on Wednesday, with almost 50.

Under Alert Level 2, Mayon is considered to be in a state of increasing or moderate unrest.

Phivolcs director Teresito Bacolcol said this condition means that the volcanic activity has intensified, although no eruption has occurred so far.

“Alert Level 2 means there is an increasing or moderate level of unrest that may eventually lead to a magmatic eruption. But for now, we do not have an eruption. However, the probability is higher compared to when the volcano was on Alert Level 1,” Bacolcol said.

He said the rockfall events are a key monitoring parameter for Mayon, noting that similar events were observed prior to the volcano’s eruption in 2023.

“Almost the same is what we are seeing now. Prior to the eruption in June 2023, we had 49 rockfall events in one day,” Bacolcol said.

He said these events were caused by magma rising beneath the volcano, dislodging rocks at the summit.

Phivolcs said the situation is being assessed on a day-to-day basis as different scenarios remain possible.

Bacolcol said one scenario is a repeat of the 2023 effusive eruption, which was non-explosive and lasted several months.

Meanwhile, 51 volcanic earthquakes were recorded at Taal Volcano in Batangas in the past 24 hours.

Of the volcanic quakes, 13 lasted one to three minutes, Phivolcs said.

Alert Level 1 remained hoisted over Taal, indicating low-level unrest.

Entry into Mayon and Taal’s danger zones remain prohibited due to risks posed by sudden possible eruptions.