QUEZON CITY (PIA) – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in his tweet posted on Twitter on Friday, October 7, encouraged the public to be careful in light of the Mayon Volcano's increasing unrest.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) released a notice of alert level raised from Alert Level 1 (abnormal) to Alert Level 2 of Mayon Volcano due to increasing unrest. This means that there is current unrest driven by shallow magmatic processes that could eventually lead to phreatic eruptions or even precede hazardous magmatic eruptions.

The Chief Executive assured the public that he has been coordinating with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PhiVolcs), National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), and concerned local government units (LGUs) to ensure the readiness of the government.

Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 5 ensures the availability of food and non-food items for resource augmentation. As of October 7, 5:00 pm, a total of 31,092 Family Food Packs (FFPs) and 47,282 non-food items have been pre-positioned to satellite /LGU warehouses. The amount of P5 million is also on a standby fund for any eventuality.

The public is strongly advised to be vigilant and desist from entering the six (6) kilometer-radius Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) to minimize risks from sudden explosions, rockfall, and landslides. People are also advised to cover their noses and mouth with a damp, clean cloth or dust mask in case of ash fall events.

 The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines must also advise pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit as ash from any sudden eruption can be hazardous to aircraft. (KSAA – PIA CPSD)