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Emmanuel Tupas - The Philippine Star
January 18, 2026 | 12:00am
Residents of Barangays Iraya and Maninila set up temporary sleeping areas inside classrooms of the Guinobatan East Central Elementary School in Guinobatan, Albay yesterday, after evacuating their homes due to the threat of possible lahar flow and flooding, following the torrential rain brought by Tropical Storm Ada.
Miguel De Guzman
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) ordered local government units in Albay and Negros to prepare for possible lahar flows from Mayon Volcano and Mt. Kanlaon due to rains brought by Tropical Storm Ada.
“Local chief executives may order preemptive or mandatory evacuations if the situation worsens and communities are deemed at high risk,” the DILG said in a statement.
For Mayon Volcano, the DILG said those considered as high-risk areas are Mi-isi and Binaan in Daraga; Mabinit, Bonga, Matanag, Buyuan and Padang in Legazpi City; Lidong and Basud Rivers in Sto. Domingo and Barangays Masarawag, Maninila and nearby channels in Guinobatan, Albay.
Around Kanlaon Volcano, residents of Bago City, La Carlota City, La Castellana, Moises Padilla and San Carlos City in Negros Occidental and Canlaon City in Negros Oriental were alerted for mudflows.
The DILG ordered LGUs to convene their local disaster risk reduction and management councils and conduct pre-disaster risk assessments, particularly on lahar hazards.
Imminent eruption
With more events of rockfall and pyroclastic density current or uson recorded, “chances of lava fountaining or moderate explosive eruption” of Mayon Volcano becomes more imminent, warned the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
According to the agency’s 24-hour observation summary yesterday, 338 rockfall events plus 72 pyroclastic density currents were recorded from the volcano since Friday.
The figures were an uptick from the 308 rockfall events and 68 pyroclastic density currents in the previous 24 hours last Thursday.
Aside from the increased rockfall and uson events, Phivolcs noted “strong degassing from the summit… with sulfur dioxide or SO2 flux averaging 4,970 tons/day, the highest emission recorded in the last 15 years” last Friday.
The increase in the rockfall, uson and degassing events caused “a pronounced increase in real-time seismic energy release (RSAM) recorded by three of 16 stations of the Mayon Volcano Network.”
While Phivolcs noted that RSAM has been decreasing, “this episode could forewarn of new intrusions into the Mayon edifice that could lead to further eruptive activity.” — Ghio Ong, Christine Boton
