Alert level raised as Bulusan Volcano erupts  

THE SORSOGON provincial government advised the public to avoid going to the towns of Juban and Irosin, which have been affected by ashfall due to Mt. Bulusan’s eruption. — SORSOGON PIO

BULUSAN Volcano erupted Sunday morning and spewed a kilometer high grey plume, prompting state volcanology agency Phivolcs to raise the alert level to 1, which means a “low level” unrest within a 5-level scale.    

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) directed local authorities and residents to strictly follow the no-entry policy within the four-kilometer permanent danger zone around the volcano and be on high alert within the two-kilometer extended danger zone on the southeast side. 

It also warned “people living within valleys and along river/stream channels especially on the southeast, southwest and northwest sector” for possible lahar flows should there be prolonged rainfall alongside continued eruptions.  

Mt. Bulusan, located in Sorsogon in the southeastern side of mainland Luzon, last erupted in June 2017, which was recorded as a “minor phreatic eruption” by Phivolcs.   

Sunday’s eruption was recorded at 10:37 a.m. and lasted for about 17 minutes.    

Phivolcs said “the event was poorly visible through cloud cover” but ashfall was reported in the towns of Juban and Casiguran, both in Sorsogon.   

Before the eruption, Phivolcs’ monitoring system recorded 77 volcanic earthquakes in the previous 24-hour observation period. — MSJ