Panayam kay Phivolcs Director Dr. Teresito Bacolcol
Panayam kay Phivolcs Director Dr. Teresito Bacolcol
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00:00 Update on Mount Bulusan and other volcanoes in the country that we know of
00:04 with FIVOX Director, Dr. Teresito Bacolcol.
00:08 Dr. Bacolcol, good afternoon and welcome to the new Philippines.
00:12 Good afternoon, sir. Thank you for having me here.
00:16 Sir, how are you and what is the situation on Mount Bulusan?
00:21 What is the latest volcanic activity of the volcano?
00:25 And what is the alert level that we are in right now?
00:29 The Mount Bulusan volcano is on alert level 1 since October 25, 2023.
00:36 And during the past 24-hour period, we have recorded 8 volcanic earthquakes.
00:42 This is lower than 2 days ago when we recorded 65 volcanic earthquakes.
00:48 And 3 days ago, we recorded 140 volcanic earthquakes.
00:53 That's why on January 28, we issued an advisory about the increase in seismic activity in Mount Bulusan.
01:02 But again, yesterday and until this early morning, we recorded only 8 volcanic earthquakes.
01:14 Okay.
01:16 Director Bacolcol, this is Chief.
01:18 According to the earlier reports, you have recorded volcanic gas from the crater of Mount Bulusan.
01:24 What does this mean, sir?
01:26 Okay, so on January 18, we recorded 202 tons per day of sulfur dioxide.
01:36 This is to be expected since there is steaming in the Bulusan volcano.
01:41 And volcanic gases such as sulfur dioxide are included in the steam.
01:47 Alright, sir.
01:48 In your projection, can we see any progression of volcanic activities here in Mount Bulusan?
01:55 Okay, so for now, we are fluctuating the number of volcanic earthquakes that we recorded in the Bulusan volcano.
02:02 Again, as I've said, 3 days ago, we recorded 140 volcanic earthquakes.
02:07 And yesterday, we only recorded 8.
02:09 But we are continuously evaluating the situation on a day-to-day basis.
02:14 We are looking at different parameters such as elevated levels of steam or gas emission
02:21 when there is a flood in the edifice of the volcano and when the spring water rises.
02:28 So if there are sustained increases in these parameters, then we have to raise it to alert level 2.
02:34 Okay.
02:35 Well, for the information of our fellow countrymen,
02:38 when was the last strong eruption that you recorded from Mount Bulusan?
02:43 And what are the damages that it can cause to the surrounding areas or nearby areas, sir?
02:49 Two years ago, we have June 5 to 12, 2022 to be exact, we have a phreatic eruption.
02:58 There are thin volcanic ashes that were deposited towards the west and northwest of Bulusan volcano.
03:07 And our volcanic ashes reached as far as Daraga, which is 50 kilometers northwest of Bulusan volcano.
03:15 All right, Director.
03:17 From Mount Bulusan, we will now go to Mount Mayon.
03:21 How is Mount Mayon now, sir?
03:24 What is the latest activity of the volcano and what is its current level?
03:29 Again, Mayon volcano is on alert level 2 since December 8.
03:35 So we had an effusive eruption from June 11 to December 8.
03:42 But on December 8, we lowered the alert level from 3 to 2.
03:46 The effusive eruption has stopped, but we still have a fair crater glow that was observed in the mouth of the volcano.
03:55 But since January 28, we have not been affected by volcanic earthquakes.
04:04 And we have not witnessed rockfall events for the past 24 hours.
04:09 And most importantly, we have not witnessed pyroplastic density current events since November 27 last year.
04:17 Well, that's good to hear, sir.
04:19 But it's also a bit worrying because some volcanoes are slowly becoming active now.
04:24 But how about Taal volcano? What is the update here?
04:30 Taal volcano is still on alert level 1 since July 2022.
04:35 And during the past 48-hour period, we only witnessed 2 volcanic earthquakes.
04:42 And yesterday, we observed steam activity of 1,200 meters.
04:49 It's a good thing that our winds are fast and we did not report any vagues.
04:56 All right, Director. Are we being monitored by other volcanoes in the PBOCs now?
05:02 Yes, we are also closely monitoring Canlaud volcano which is on alert level 1 since March 2020.
05:12 And we are also monitoring Hibok-Hibok and Pinatubo volcanoes.
05:16 And these two volcanoes are on alert level 0.
05:22 Okay, sir. In your studies, when can we expect and what are the signs that the calm or the silence of a volcano will continue?
05:31 And also, some of our countrymen are worried about the current events in volcanoes.
05:37 Are there any signs that the Big One could happen?
05:41 Again, let's start with the Big One. The Big One has nothing to do with our volcanoes erupting.
05:49 So the Big One would come from active faults, which is our fault, the Big One, which is the West Valley Fault.
05:57 And it's different from our volcanoes.
06:00 Now, the first question, what can we say if the calm or the silence of the volcano continues?
06:09 Well, if we have almost no record of volcanic earthquakes,
06:13 the volcanic gases are also very minimal, the steaming is weak, and we also have almost no inflation or eruption in the volcanic list.
06:23 So basically, if our monitored parameters are within the background levels, then we can say that the calm of a volcano is continuous.
06:32 Maybe I'll just add, partner Chi, to the Director, what are the signs that we can give to our countrymen that it's really dangerous
06:42 and that the vicinity of volcanoes should be protected?
06:45 Because we know that our countrymen are waiting for a fight to break out from the volcano before they evacuate.
06:53 What are the signs that we can say are really dangerous and that those living around the volcano should evacuate?
07:03 If there are strong earthquakes that they feel, usually, the earthquakes in the volcano are weak and we only have instruments that can record.
07:16 But if they felt, it means that the magnitude of the earthquake is continuous.
07:22 And if they feel the earthquake, then they have to move away from the danger zone.
07:29 We have a permanent danger zone, so they should be removed from there.
07:33 All of our active volcanoes, we have permanent danger zones.
07:37 But Edu, you have a good question. I remember when the Taal Volcano happened, it was really hard because the others stayed in the area of the volcano and didn't want to evacuate.
07:46 They were waiting to see the eruption.
07:48 So they wouldn't believe that it's already in the eruption.
07:51 All right, Director, please send a message to our countrymen, especially to Sorosogon.
07:58 Again, we remind our people who live in Sorosogon, near the foot of Bulusan Volcano, that alert level 1 prevails over Bulusan Volcano,
08:08 which means it is currently at low level unrest and there could be steam-driven or phreatic eruptions.
08:15 So local government units and the public are reminded that we have a 4-kilometer permanent danger zone.
08:21 Our countrymen should not enter the 4-kilometer permanent danger zone.
08:29 All right. Thank you very much for your time, FIVOX Director Dr. Teresito Bacolcol.
08:36 Thank you very much.