Mayon evacuees head home as eruption less imminent

UPDATED 2:40pm After involuntarily spending the holidays away from home, residents are being permitted by the provincial government to start going home to the foothills of Mount Mayon after state volcanologists declared that an eruption is no longer imminent. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has lowered the alert level around Mayon Volcano from “4" to “3" early Saturday morning, noting the decreased volcanic activity recorded from Mayon Volcano. But Alert Level 3 still means Mayon is in a state of "relatively high unrest" and if it continues, an eruption is still "possible within weeks." After the change in status, Albay Governor Joey Salceda ordered the partial decampment of evacuation centers, which are located mostly in public schools set to resume classes after the holidays. In an earlier interview, Salceda said that he will allow 7,218 families or 34,482 people to return to their homes within six to eight kilometers from the volcano once the alert level is lowered to 3. “Kung sakaling ibaba nga nila pauuwiin namin ang 6 to 8 (If the alert level is lowered, we will allow those living within the 6-8 km area to go home)," he added. The area within a six-kilometer radius from the volcano's summit is still off-limits as a "permanent danger zone." Army repositions checkpoints to 7km The Philippine Army is repositioning its checkpoints outwards from the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) to a seven-kilometer radius from Mayon's crater. This is to keep evacuees who used to live within the six-kilometer danger zone from taking advantage of the decampment operations to return to their homes. “Magkakaroon kami ng repositioning of checkpoints pushing upward doon sa seven-kilometer mark para makita namin kung may mga farmers pa na lalampas papuntang six-kilometer danger zone. Kasi nasa direktiba pa rin na no human activities pa rin sa six to seven kilometer danger zone," said Captain Razaleigh Bansawan, spokesman of Task Force Mayon of the 901st Brigade. (We'll reposition our checkpoints at the seven-kilometer mark so that we can keep farmers from straying into the six-kilometer danger zone. Our directives are still to maintain no human activities within the six to seven kilometer danger zone.) "The no-human-activity policy within the (six kilometer) permanent danger zone is still in place," Bansawan emphatically added. About 200 military men, along with members of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) are set to transport residents living within the seven to eight-kilometer radius aboard 15 military trucks and 10 newly acquired all-terrain vehicles from Korea. "Declining trend in Mayon's activity" In its January 2 (8 am) bulletin, the Philvolcs noted "a declining trend in Mayon volcano’s activity," including no more "ash ejections" from the crater. According to the Philvolcs web site, "Alert Level 3 means that there is less probability of a hazardous explosive eruption. However, the lowering of the alert level from 4 to 3 should not be interpreted that the unrest of the volcano has ceased." Phivolcs had raised the alert level at Mayon to “3" last December 14 and to “4" last December 20, prompting the evacuation of around 47,000 residents in the danger zone to some 29 evacuation centers a safe distance away from Mayon. - Nikka Corsino/HS/TJD, GMANews.TV