Albay: Mayon Volcano will remain under Alert Level 3 (High Level of Volcanic Unrest) after the pyroclastic density currents (PDC) that caused massive ashfall in several towns and a city in Albay province, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). In a statement Sunday, Ma. Antonia Bornas, chief of Phivolcs' volcano monitoring and eruption prediction division, said there has been no significant change in Mayon's overall monitoring parameters since the PDC Saturday.
According to Philippines News Agency, what happened was that the newest lava flow in Mi-isi Gully, being fed by lava effusion at the crater, instead of growing, advancing, or lengthening, like what has been happening since 6 January 2026, started collapsing. New lava feeding the young lava flow triggered the collapse or disgorgement of lava at the flow front, which in turn generated successive PDCs.
Phivolcs also reported continued lava effusion, with lava flows reaching 3.8 kilometers in Basud Gully, 3.2 km in Bonga Gully and 1.6 km in Mi-isi Gully. Successive PDCs along Mi-isi Gully within the permanent danger zone were recorded, along with ashfall on the southwestern slopes.
Phivolcs recorded 32 volcanic earthquakes, including 25 tremor events lasting up to 15 minutes, 284 rockfall events, and 14 PDC signals. Sulfur dioxide emissions reached 1,586 tonnes per day. A crater glow was observed and ground deformation data showed short-term deflation with short-term inflation on the northeastern flank.
The Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO) reported that 128 villages in Albay are affected by ashfall. Among them are Camalig which logged 16 affected villages, Guinobatan 39, Ligao City 19, and Oas 15 despite light ashfall.
APSEMO head Oscar Robert Cristobal said no additional evacuations were added Sunday to the centers in Malilipot, Tabaco City, Camalig and Ligao City. Cristobal said evacuation centers are requesting for additional supplies, particularly N95 face masks and hygiene kits, amid continued ashfall.
'We were able to distribute face masks last (Saturday) night, including surgical masks, but supplies remain insufficient,' he said. APSEMO is coordinating with Phivolcs and local disaster risk reduction and management offices while the Provincial Health Office deployed teams to evacuation centers, particularly in Camalig and Guinobatan, to distribute additional hygiene kits and medicines.
Meanwhile, Guinobatan Mayor Ann Gemma Ongjoco announced the suspension of work and classes at all levels in both public and private schools on Monday.
