The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned that powerful booming sounds emanating from the volcano indicated that a major eruption was imminent.
Phivolcs director Renato Solidum said seismic activity had “increased in number and size” in the past 24 hours and a total of 1,942 volcanic quakes were detected since Sunday, after the alert level was raised from 3 to 4, following a greater frequency of earthquakes and sulfur dioxide emissions.
Yesterday, sulfur dioxide emissions continued to be “very high” and the glow of crimson lava could be seen oozing from the volcano overnight.
In Guinobatan village, lying on a dirt road in the foothills of Mayon, district officials and police went house to house, urging residents to board a truck and take shelter outside the danger zone.
Nearly all the villagers boarded the hired truck, carrying their personal belongings in sacks and heading to evacuation centers set up by authorities outside an eight-kilometer zone.
But some of the men folk refused to budge and were left to fend for themselves.
"There are still one or two men who don't want to go but their families have come down to the evacuation centers," village councilor Mulad Bucad said.
"There are always a few who don't want to go. They say they are used to eruptions and they never get hurt anyway," he said.
Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said authorities are having trouble keeping people away from their homes and farms.
"There are people who have been evacuated three times and we sigh: 'You again?'" Salceda said. "We've been playing cat and mouse with them."
Salceda yesterday said authorities "will physically remove" those refusing to leave the danger zone after volcanologists raised the alert level to four on a five-point scale.
Level four means that an "explosive eruption is possible within hours or days," according to Phivolcs.
There were still 729 families or more than 3,000 people staying put on the edges of the eight-kilometer danger zone that has been declared around Mayon, local disaster preparations chief Cedric Daep said.
Just over 9,200 families or nearly 44,400 people had already taken shelter in evacuation centers since Mayon started belching ash, steam and lava last week.
If the alert level is raised to five, meaning that an eruption is in progress, another 16,000 villagers living beyond the danger zone would also have to be evacuated as a precautionary measure, Salceda said.
Army troops and police added more patrols to enforce a five-mile (eight-kilometer) exclusion zone around the mountain, Salceda said.
Salceda said about 5,000 more villagers were being transported out of Mayon's danger zone, where scientists said red hot lava flows had reached three miles (five kilometers) from the crater. A major eruption could trigger pyroclastic flows - superheated gas and volcanic debris that race down the slopes at very high speeds, vaporizing everything in its path. More extensive explosions of ash could drift toward nearby towns and cities.
Salceda said, however, military and police would refrain from using excessive force after the government's Commission on Human Rights (CHR) warned against forcing people out at gunpoint or with batons.
In past Philippine evacuations, holdout residents have been carried onto military trucks by unarmed troops and police personnel.
In an effort to persuade people to leave, Salceda ordered the provincial veterinary office to bring all cows and water buffaloes to a government agricultural station so they would be safe.
In Mayon's other eruptions in recent years, pyroclastic flows had reached up to four miles (six kilometers) from the crater, Salceda said.
"The probability of survival in an eruption is zero if you're in the danger area. The solution is obviously distance," he said.
Mayon last erupted in 2006, when about 30,000 people were moved.
Meanwhile, Phivolcs director Solidum said in a television interview "he cannot say exactly when the hazardous eruption is likely to occur."
But he stressed: "The important thing is the distance from the volcano. That is why it is important that people not be inside the danger zone."
3 episodes of lava fountaining
Three episodes of lava fountaining which reached about 200 meters above crater were recorded yesterday morning.
Solidum said that lava fountaining was observed at 8:07, 8:08 and 8:18 Monday morning.
Solidum also said that red hot lava continues to flow along the Bonga-Buyuan Miisi and Lidong gullies and the lava front has now reached about five kilometers down slope from the summit along the Bonga-Buyuan gullies.
"The lava fountaining might affect some lava to go toother sites like Sto. Domingo and possibly Anoling," said Solidum.
Solidum warned that the amount of lava at the summit and on slopes could generate a pyroclastic flow equally dangerous to people even if the volcano does not explode.
He also warned of the threat of lahar when volcanic debris comes into contact with water and cascades down the slope of the volcano towards rivers and streams during heavy rains.
Defense department offers help
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales has ordered the deployment of more doctors and nurses at the Armed Forces hospital near Albay to help address the health concerns of the evacuees.
Gonzales also donated P1 million for the children at evacuation centers to celebrate the Christmas season.
"I want to give this P1 million to Governor Salceda so children at the evacuation center will enjoy Christmas," said Gonzales, who also heads the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), during the full Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) meeting.
Gonzales also said that the NDCC will extend all the support needed by the provincial government of Albay which he considers a model among local government units for effective disaster management in the country.
Salceda, for his part, said the focus now of the disaster response operation is to address the health concerns as well as ensure that the evacuees will not go back to celebrate Christmas and New Year at their homes inside the high-risk danger zones.
"Zero casualty policy also includes mortality inside the evacuation centers," said Salceda, adding that common problems inside the evacuation centers such as the lack of toilets, water and food are already being addressed.
He said some 57 comfort rooms have already been repaired and 24 portalets set up at the different evacuation centers.
The Local Water Utilities Administration has already deployed four water tank lorries with 1,000-liter capacity, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) fire trucks each as well as a water purifier with 30,000-liter capacity donated by the Spanish government at the designated evacuation sites.
Salceda also said that all hospitals in the province have been placed on code blue, meaning they can accept 50 to 100 evacuees if needed, while all evacuees have been given PhilHealth cards.
To prevent the displacement of classes at the evacuation centers, Salceda said he needs some 600 tents to be established at various evacuation centers. The UNICEF has already donated some 100 tents.
Salceda also said some 4,800 farmers have been affected by the imminent Mayon eruption, as well 2,000 cattle and carabaos.
Dept. of Health regional director Nestor Santiago told the governor that there was a need to decongest some evacuation sites and they would need P3 million for the construction of toilets inside the evacuation centers.
Some of the evacuees suffer from common ailments like cough and cold, fever, toothache and hypertension.
Salceda also said he would use everything at his disposal to make the evacuees merry and comfortable this Christmas.
"If I need to request our soldiers to wear mascots or to do a Santa Claus to spread cheer to our devastated evacuees, I will," Salceda said. Report from With Helen Flores, Cet Dematera, AP - By Celso Amo (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)
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