The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Thursday raised the alert status of Mayon Volcano in Albay from Alert Level 1 to Alert Level 2 due to a moderate level of unrest, which could indicate shallow magmatic processes that could lead to hazardous magmatic eruption.
Based on its 6 a.m. bulletin, Phivolcs reported that average rockfall increased to 21 events per day in the last week of December 2025.
This was a significant increase over the 599 rockfall events detected in the last two months of 2025, or an average of 10 events per day.
“A total of 47 rockfall events was recorded yesterday, 31 December 2025, the highest incidence in a single day for the past year,” Phivolcs cited.
“Increased rockfall at Mayon Volcano has been a precursory sign of magmatic dome growth within the upper edifice preceding an eruption, similar to conditions before the 2023 eruption,” the agency said.
Despite this, current unrest has exhibited no significant volcanic earthquake or sulfur dioxide anomalies, but in contrast to 2023, ground deformation parameters have been anomalous for almost 18 months, it added.
“Persistent and increasing rockfall, coupled with long- to short-term swelling of the edifice, may indicate increased chances of an eruption occurring at the summit of Mayon, generating hazardous volcanic hazards that may impact surrounding communities,” it added.
The public is advised to stay vigilant and refrain from entering the six-kilometer-radius permanent danger zone to minimize risks from sudden explosions, pyroclastic density currents (PDC), or rockfall, landslides, and ballistic projectiles.
Concerned local government units must prepare communities within the PDC hazard zone for subsequent evacuation in case unrest suddenly escalates.
Phivolcs also warned civil aviation authorities to advise pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit, as ash and ballistic fragments from any sudden eruption can be hazardous to aircraft.
