The Office of Civil Defense (OCD)-Central Luzon allayed fears of an eruption of Mt. Pinatubo.
Residents near the stratovolcano expressed alarm as soon as authorities raised Alert Level 1 on March 4.
“This means that there is low-level unrest that may be related to tectonic processes beneath the volcano and that no imminent eruption is foreseen,” said the Pinatubo Volcano Network in a statement.
The volcano, which is part of the Zambales Mountain Range located on the boundaries of Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales and Bataan, has been on Alert Level 0 or “normal” status since January 1996.
OCD Regional Information Officer Francesca Quizon urged the public, specifically those living near Mt. Pinatubo to double check social media posts pertaining to a supposed potential explosion which has been causing panic and anxiety in the area.
“It is to clear the reactions of the people who make the issue worse. Social media is very powerful. Do not panic because we are doing this for proper information and knowledge for our people in Central Luzon,” said Quizon.
State seismologists recorded the first cluster of earthquakes from January 20 to 26 along the Sacobia Lineament at depths of 15 to 28 kilometers and ranged between 1.0 and 2.5 in magnitudes.
Mount Pinatubo last erupted on June 15, 1991.
The eruption, which is considered as “the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century,” reportedly killed more than 840 people.
“We remind the public especially in Central Luzon that when it comes to the status of Mount Pinatubo and other disasters, please like and follow only the official social media pages or websites of our warning agencies,” said Quizon.