The Philippines' National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) clarified on Tuesday morning that social media news about the Alert Level being raised to 5 is untrue as families hurriedly prepared their necessities for evacuation before dawn.
According to local news outlet GMA Network, the NDRRMC reiterated that the Alert Level has not been raised as of Tuesday morning. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismoloy (PHIVOLCS) dubbed the reports on Alert Level 5 as fake news.
PHIVOLCS noted that the situation still puts the Taal Volcano under Alert Level 4 due to the possibility of a "hazardous explosive eruption." So far the following areas have experienced heavy ashfall: Batangas, Talisay, Tall, Cuenca, and Lemery.
While others feared for their lives due to the continuous eruptions from the Taal Volcano, others were seen snapping photos and taking videos of the volcano spewing lava and ash. The NDRRMC has warned of potential hazards and told people to stay away from the site.
As of Monday, a total of 7,730 families in Batangas have been evacuated due to potential continuous eruptions from the volcano. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport was also shut down for almost 24 hours as part of precautionary measures.
The PHIVOLCS has also warned of further eruptions in the coming days. According to CNN Philippines, PHIVOLCS chief Renato Solidum said "we expect more activities in the next few days."
Since Sunday, there have been 212 earthquakes recorded and of the said quakes, 81 were felt in surrounding areas. Solidum added that the quakes may cause landslides in surrounding areas, especially on steep slopes.
If the current situation will be based on the historical events that took place around the Taal Volcano, residents can expect the eruptions and other activity to last up to weeks and even months.
The first eruption took place on Sunday, and later developed into a magmatic eruption through Monday. The first eruption only spewed out steam but as the hours passed, lava started coming out of the volcano.
According to Rappler, Alert Levels quickly went up but has been retained at Level 4 as of Tuesday. Level 5 is the highest alert possible but Filipinos are being warned of fake news that could rattle citizens without official confirmation from respective authorities.
As of Monday, Batangas has been placed under state of calamity, with evacuees reaching 24,000 and counting. It remains to be seen whether the number will rise in the coming days as uncertainties of eruptions ensue.
Taal Volcano is located in Talisay and San Nicolas, Batangas. The last eruptions took place in October 1977.
