Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 23)— The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Friday lowered Taal Volcano’s alert level status from level 3 to level 2 amid decreased unrest.
In an advisory, Phivolcs said there has been a “cessation of eruptive activity” at the volcano following the July 1 phreatomagmatic eruption and the small bursts recorded in the succeeding days.
State volcanologists also observed generally declining gas emissions as well as “very slight” ground deformation in the area.
Phivolcs, however, reminded the public that the downgraded alert status does not mean the unrest has stopped or there’s no more threat of an eruption.
“Should an uptrend or pronounced change in monitored parameters forewarn a potential eruption, the Alert Level may be raised back to Alert Level 3,” the agency added.
Alert Level 2 means steam-driven or phreatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, and ashfall can still occur in the vicinity of Taal Volcano Island, according to Phivolcs.
It also stressed that entry into the island and Taal’s Permanent Danger Zone is strictly prohibited.
