Mayon Volcano raised to Alert Level 2 on New Year’s Day

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised the alert level of Mayon Volcano in Albay from Alert Level 1 to Alert Level 2 on New Year’s Day, citing an “increasing” or “moderate” level of unrest.

In a bulletin issued at 6 am on Thursday, January 1, Phivolcs said the upgrade “means that there is current unrest driven by shallow magmatic processes” that could lead to a “hazardous magmatic eruption.”

In particular, rockfall incidents have been increasing, with a total of 599 incidents recorded in November-December 2025, or an average of 10 per day.

In the last week of December, however, the average more than doubled to 21 rockfall incidents per day. The single-day record for 2025 was logged on Wednesday, December 31, with a total of 47 rockfall events.

“Increased rockfall at Mayon has been a precursory sign of magmatic dome growth within the upper edifice preceding an eruption, similar to conditions before the 2023 eruption,” Phivolcs explained.

The agency added that while there has been no “significant” volcanic earthquake or sulfur dioxide spikes, “ground deformation parameters have been anomalous for almost 18 months.”

That means “the Mayon edifice, particularly its eastern to northeastern slopes, has been swelling or inflating since June 2024.” The volcano’s western to southwestern slopes have also been swelling since May 2025.

“Persistent and increasing rockfall, coupled with long- to short-term swelling of the edifice, may indicate increased chances of an eruption occurring at the summit of Mayon, generating life-threatening volcanic hazards that may impact surrounding communities,” Phivolcs said.

These potential volcanic hazards include “sudden explosions, pyroclastic density currents or uson, rockfall, landslides, and ballistic projectiles.”

State volcanologists reminded the public not to enter the 6-kilometer-radius permanent danger zone surrounding Mayon.

Phivolcs also advised local government units to prepare for possible evacuation in case the unrest escalates further and Mayon would have to be raised to the next alert level.

The last time the volcano was placed under Alert Level 3 was in June 2023. It was subsequently downgraded to Alert Level 2 in December 2023, then Alert Level 1 in March 2024.

The alert levels are from 1 to 5, with 5 indicating that a hazardous eruption is already in progress. – Rappler.com