Thousands of villagers evacuated from the danger zone of Mayon volcano headed home Saturday after scientists said the rumbling mountain was showing signs it was calming down. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) early Saturday lowered a five-stage alert over Mayon volcano from level 4 to 3, saying there was “less probability of a hazardous explosive eruption.” Most of the 47,000 evacuees, whose homes are within a 5-mile (8-kilometer) danger zone, have been told it is safe to return home, said Cedric Daep, head of the disaster management office of Albay province. Only about 5,000 whose homes are on the southeastern slope of the volcano and in the path of lava flows remained in shelters, he said. In a statement, the institute said it noted “a declining trend in Mayon volcano's activity.” The institute cited the absence of ash ejections over the past four days, weak steam emissions, declining amounts of sulfur dioxide gas – an indicator of rising magma. It also said majority of earthquakes recorded in the past days have been associated with rockfalls, not rising magma. “We have been monitoring a continuous downtrend of volcanic activities. That means the threat is no longer imminent compared before so it's safe for most of the evacuees to go home,” said resident volcanologist Ed Laguerta. But he said the downgrading of the alert level does not mean that Mayon's activities have completely died down, saying a resurgence of activities is still possible similar to what happened during the 1984 and 2001 eruptions. “At the moment, the activity of the volcano is declining, but the volcanic unrest is still high,” he said. “If there is still a noticeable downtrend in the monitored parameters, then the alert (level) will be further lowered to level 2.” Phivolcs spokesperson July Sabit said Mayon's volcanic activities peaked from Dec. 24 to 26 when the evacuees, tourists and other people in Legazpi City, Albay were treated to a spectacu-lar lava flow and fountaining. Mayon started quieting down after that, Sabit said. As soon as Phivolcs lowered the alert level in its bulletin issued at 9 A.M. Saturday, Albay Gov. Joey Salceda ordered some of the 47,000 evacuees in 32 evacuation centers to prepare to return home. But Salceda said soldiers will still be posted within the six-kilometer danger zone in the north side of Mayon volcano and the seven-kilometer danger zone within the southeast side. “They will just move the checkpoint areas to those areas which are still considered dangerous in order to prevent farmers from moving around,” he said. “The risk there is gas fumes and rock falls, so there should be no human activities there,” he added, referring to the six-kilometer danger zone in the north side and the seven-kilometer in the southeast side. The north side covers some barangays of Tabaco City and Malilipot town while the southeast side covers Legazpi City, Daraga, Camalig and Sto. Domingo. In case Mayon activities recur, Salceda said they could quickly move the affected residents back to the evacuation centers. Salceda has ordered that all schools be prepared to reopen for classes next week, said Jukes Nunez of the provincial disaster office. Many schools had been retasked as shelters since the evacuations began Dec. 15. The evacuees heading home will be given enough food for three days and will continue to receive supplies already set aside for them by the World Food Program, Nunez said. Daep said the military and police will help transport the villagers back to their homes. “We are very very happy we are going home to our village,” said 59-year-old seamstress Myrna Avellano. “We had a sad Christmas and New Year's Eve at the evacuation center.” Mayon, known for its perfect cone, has erupted nearly 40 times over 400 years, sending people packing for months at a time. But never has it happened during the all-important Christmas celebration, when Filipinos gather with family and friends for traditional meals and merry-making.
