Chief government volcanologist Renato Solidum assured the public that Taal Volcano was not erupting after tourists in Tagaytay reported seeing a fire inside one of the craters. Solidum said that there was no seismic activity monitored that would indicate an impending explosion. One traveler posted pictures of a glowing Taal crater on GMANews.TV's Facebook fan page. Contacted by GMANews.TV by phone late Saturday night, Solidum of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and and Seismology (Phivolcs) said lava flows will always be accompanied by seismic activity in the volcano's vicinity, and so far the agency has not monitored any. Photos were posted on GMANews.TV's Facebook fan page Saturday evening, indicating lava-like activity in the Binintiang Malaki crater of Taal island, which is not Taal Volcano's main crater. At around 7 P.M. Saturday, Virgie Luvidece posted an inquiry asking, “Do you have an update on Taal volcano ... it's erupting like a fountain ... many tourists took pictures like this.” Carlo Miguel Saavedra also posted a picture showing a sizable fire in or near one of the craters, saying that it was around 6:30 P.M. when the volcano “started to show some magma flow over the side.”
