OCD eases alert level in Bicol following decline of volcanic activities at Mayon

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) lowered the alert status of its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Bicol (Region 5) on Friday, Dec. 8, after the decrease of volcanic activities at Mayon Volcano.
In a statement, OCD spokesperson Edgar Posadas said the alert level has been downgraded to Blue - which means half of the agency's manpower shall be on standby for heightened monitoring - from "Red", its highest alert level.
This came after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) lowered Mayon Volcano's alert status to Level 2 from Level 3 or moderate level of unrest, six months since it exhibited increased volcanic activities.
Posadas, however, reminded civil defense units in Region 5 to stay vigilant as he cited the observations of state seismologists that the edifice of Mayon continues to be inflated and sulfur dioxide emissions were still high.
"This was why OCD advised all local disaster risk reduction and management offices (LDRRMOs) to continue monitoring Mayon Volcano's status and other hazards that could impact the communities nearby," Posadas said.
Decamp
Now that the alert level was lowered to Blue, the OCD initiated measures to decamp the 52 families or 195 individuals who has been staying for a prolonged period at an evacuation center in Camalig, Albay due to the volcano's activities in the past months.
"The agency is coordinating with local officials in Camalig regarding this," Posadas said.
It can be recalled that Mayon's alert status was raised to Level 2 on June 5 when state seismologists observed an increase in rockfall activities from the volcano's summit lava dome.
Three days later, the alert was further hoisted to Level 3 after Mayon had an effusive magmatic eruption, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents living within the six-kilometer permanent danger zone (PDZ).
Posadas said the EOC in Bicol would still monitor any developments on Mayon and its potential impact to residents despite the easing of alert status.