The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recorded two volcanic earthquakes in Taal Volcano out of the 134 tremors during the 24-hour observation, signifying “magmatic activity beneath the Taal edifice that could lead to eruptive activity at the main crater.”
READ: Taal still shaking, emitting steam
At 4:20 a.m. on Sunday, a quake of magnitude 3.2 was felt at intensity 4 in the towns of Laurel, Agoncillo, and Lemery in Batangas, while Tagaytay City in Cavite felt intensity 2 due to a quake of magnitude 2.3 at 5:42 a.m.
Meanwhile, the 3,000-strong Taal Lake Aquaculture Alliance Inc. on Sunday appealed to government authorities to give its members sufficient “window hours” daily to feed and harvest thousands of tons of healthy and marketable fish still in their cages.
READ: Phivolcs warns danger still lurks amid Taal Volcano’s ‘calm’ state
In a letter to Agriculture Secretary William Dar, Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas and other ranking government officials involved in Taal’s rehabilitation, the group said 70 percent of their fish cages survived and were still floating despite Taal Volcano’s eruption.
“Half of the surviving cages still have healthy living fish, but they need to be fed and fattened to maximize quality and value. We also need to repair our cages and start recovering and rebuilding whatever is left of our livelihood. These fish are our only chance to recover and sustain our 12,000 workers and their families," the group said.
Alert Level 3 remained over the Taal Volcano.
“The Department of Science and Technology-PHIVOLCS reminds the public that sudden steam-driven and even weak phreatomagmatic explosion, ashfall, and lethal volcanic gas explosions can still occur and threaten areas within Taal Volcano island and nearby lakeshores,” PHIVOLCS Monday’s bulletin said.
The agency said the entry into the Taal Volcano island and areas over Taal Lake as well as the communities west of the island within the seven-kilometer radius from the main crater must still be strictly prohibited.
“People are advised to observe precautions due to ground displacement across fissures, frequent ash fall, and minor earthquakes,” PHIVOLCS said.
It said the communities beside the active river channels, particularly where ash from the main eruption phase had been thickly deposited, should increase vigilance during heavy and prolonged rainfall.
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