THE Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) on Monday reported that Taal Volcano has emitted substantial quantities of volcanic smog or “vog” over the past 24 hours.
At least 3,355 tons of sulfur dioxide emission was detected since Aug. 15, the agency disclosed in a statement.
Volcanologists also observed an upwelling of hot volcanic fluids at the main crater lake.
Furthermore, Phivolcs detected an emission of voluminous plumes of up to 2,400 meters tall, drifting to the north-northwest direction.
A long-term deflation of the Taal Caldera and a short-term inflation of the general northern and southeastern flanks of the Taal Volcano Island were observed.
However, Phivolcs said it had not detected the occurrence of volcanic earthquakes in the past 24 hours.
The Batangas Provincial Government continues to forbid people from setting foot on Taal Volcano Island, which Gov. Hermilando Mandanas earlier called, a “no man’s land.”
A permanent danger zone has been established around Taal’s main crater and Daang Kastila fissure.
For its part, the Office of Civil Defense maintained that Taal Volcano is still under Alert Level 1 despite its ongoing restiveness.
The OCD also received reports of cancellation of face-to-face classes and the shifting to modular distance learning of schools in 40 local government units (LGUs) in the Calabarzon region.
“Our regional counterpart is continuously monitoring the situation on the AOR considering the vog formation reported in the Provinces of Batangas, Cavite and Laguna and continuously coordinating with DOST-PHIVOLCS/TVO, DENR-EMB CALABARZON and various LDRRMOs to assess the situation and provide corresponding support once needed.” OCD said in a statement on Monday.
As this developed, the Batangas Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) has begun distributing N-95 respirator masks to different towns.
In an interview, Dr. Amor Banuelos-Calayan, PDRRMO head, said more than 20,000 face masks will be added to the inventory of local DRRMOs to address the immediate needs of locals especially the elderly and those with health conditions.
“Every local MDRRMOs already has their respective stock of N-95 face masks but we continue to distribute additional masks since this is the immediate need of the locals to avoid throat irritation. We highly recommend [N-95] because it is highly particulate, avoiding penetration of the vog,” she told Manila Standard.
Preemptive evacuation is not yet necessary as well as suspension of work and classes are also not yet recommended.
However, she underscored that “affected schools are authorized to suspend classes in the absence of an official announcement from local government units (LGUs)” following the Department of Education (DepEd) Memorandum No. 046, Series of 2024.
It was also reported that authorities in a number of schools in the province have unilaterally ordered a switch to distance learning to mitigate pupils’ exposure to vog.
Among the towns that suspended face-to-face classes include Balete, Balayan, Malvar, Laurel, San Jose, Mataas na Kahoy, Agoncillo, San Nicolas, Nasugbu, Lemery, Lian, Talisay, San Luis, Alitagtag, City of Calaca, San Pascual, Calatagan, Tuy, Cuenca, Sta. Teresita, Bauan, San Juan, Taal, Padre Garcia, and Ibaan, among others.
Banuelos-Calayan said she has already deployed a team, in partnership with the Provincial Health Office (PHO) and various city and municipal DRRMOs, to closely monitor developments and immediately address the health threats posed by the vog.
While the situation is another challenge, she is positive the vog will dissipate over time as this is a “normal activity for a volcano under Alert Level 1.”
She is encouraging locals to avoid unnecessary outdoor activities, to wash hands often, and to wear goggles or glasses to elude exposure from sulfur dioxide.
Meanwhile, in Cavite, vog has reached Tagaytay City, Alfonso, Magallanes, Silang, Amadeo, Dasmarinas City, GMA, General Emilio Aguinaldo, Indang, Maragondon, and Mendez.
The highly-acidic emissions have also reached as far away as Calamba City, Cabuyao City, San Pedro City, San Pablo City, and Santa Rosa in Laguna, according to the OCD.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Phivolcs: 15 areas in Batangas experiencing vog from Taal”
