A GIANT mushroom-shaped cloud shot up from the Philippines’ most active volcano on Monday, darkening the skies and raining ash on communities where tens of thousands have fled after warnings of an impending eruption.

Mayon Volcano’s new activity prompted state volcanologists to raise the alert level one notch higher than the initial warning scientists issued last week, meaning a hazardous eruption is possible within days.

Fine ash and sand fell on Legazpi, a city of about 200,000 people, and nearby areas after the midday explosion of Mount Mayon, forcing motorists to turn on their windshield wipers and headlamps, an AFP video stringer said.

Live local television footage and photographs showed the ash column rising several kilometers above the volcano, blotting out the sun in a largely agricultural region some 330 kilometers southeast of Manila.

”I had to stop because my helmet had filled up with ash,” local housewife Girlie Panesa, 39, told AFP as she parked her motorcycle by the roadside in nearby Ligao town.

She asked for water from bystanders to wash the cement-grey ash off her helmet visor and said she plans to drive home despite the hazardous conditions because her teenage daughter was alone in their house.

“We expect the explosions to continue,” Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) director Renato U. Solidum, Jr. told a news conference in Manila.

“There is a possibility of a dangerous eruption, the start of which we are already witnessing,” Mr. Solidum added.

He advised local officials to evacuate more areas around the crater, expanding the danger zone from six kilometers to eight kilometers.

EVACUATION
More than 40,000 people had fled in the past week, the civil defence office in Manila said Monday.

As of Sunday, almost 6,500 families composed of 24,381 individuals are still in evacuation centers, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). These are residents within the seven-kilometer danger zone of the volcano.

A six-kilometer permanent danger zone is set up around Mayon.

In its report as of Jan. 21, the DSWD said it has so far released more than P5 million worth of relief supplies.

DSWD Officer-in-Charge Emmanuel A. Leyco said the DSWD-Field Office in the Bicol Region remains on red alert and continues to assist affected local government units in their relief operations and in managing the evacuation centers that are still open.

Last Thursday, 2,909 families or 12,044 individuals were allowed to return to their homes within the 8-9-kilometer zone following a green light from authorities. They were, however, advised to stay alert.

AIRPORT CLOSED
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has temporarily closed the Legazpi Airport effective 2:21 p.m. yesterday afternoon to 9 a.m today.

In its notice to airmen (Notam), CAAP said the closure advisory will be updated on a daily basis depending on Mayon Volcano’s status.

The affected flights are Cebu Pacific’s Manila-Legazpi, Mactan-Legazpi, and Manila-Naga services.

Mayon, a near-perfect cone, rises 2,460 meters above Legazpi and is considered the most volatile of the country’s 22 active volcanoes.

The Philippines is part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire” of islands that were formed by volcanic activity.

The most powerful explosion in recent years was the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila, which killed more than 800 people. — main report by AFP

DAVAO CITY — As the national government prepares to break ground for the first phase of the Mindanao Railway System (MRS) by the third quarter this year, the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) has underscored the need to set up the Mindanao Railways Corp. (MRC) that will manage and operate the transport network.

MinDA Deputy Director Romeo M. Montenegro, in an interview last week, said the creation of the railway agency has already been given support by several members of the House of Representatives.

A bill on the MRC was initially filed in 2014 and similar bills have been refiled in the current 17^th Congress in both the Senate and House of Representatives. The proposal has been approved at the House committee level.

Under the proposal, MinDA would be represented in the MRC board.

MinDA, in a statement, said its inclusion in the board will put “premium in situating the proposed integrated and coordinated transport network and its future expansion along planned development direction for Mindanao.”

The first phase of the MRS would be in the Davao Region, spanning Digos City in Davao del Sur, Davao City, and Tagum City in Davao del Norte. An initial P6.58-billion fund has been allocated for the 105-kilometer segment.

Davao del Norte Governor Antonio Rafael G. del Rosario, chair of the Davao Regional Development Council, has said that the project will boost the local economy’s growth.

“Because there will be faster movement of goods and people, more investors are expected to get attracted to invest in the region,” said Mr. Del Rosario whose father, former governor Rodolfo P. del Rosario, was among those pushing for its establishments. — Carmelito Q. Francisco

PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON Herminio Harry L. Roque, Jr. challenged critics and reporters yesterday, Jan. 22, to produce bank statements authenticated by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to support Vera Files’ report alleging that “President Rodrigo R. Duterte and his daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio did not declare their P100 million in investments.” “The reality is that the law says that bank statements are in fact confidential and you need a report or a request from the Anti-Money Laundering Council to get copies of these statements. When Vera Files asked me for my comment, how could I comment when the documents are not authenticated?,” Mr. Roque said in a press conference. In a statement forwarded to media on the same day, Ms. Carpio said: “I actually participated in the production of this Vera Files story. I replied and gave my comment and I told them that we continue to question the claims made by Trillanes and the truthfulness in the data he presented. We have also been asking him to produce and present the sources of the data, which he failed to do even today. Because otherwise, if everything is just based on claims, it’s just rumor-mongering. And he is hiding under the cloak of parliamentary immunity to prevent us from demanding accountability from him.” She added, “The only time that I am bound to answer is when there is a case filed (in court).” — Arjay L. Balinbin

MALACAÑANG CONFIRMED yesterday, Jan. 22, that the Philippines has asked the United States for help for counterterrorism measures. The spokesman’s pronouncement came after the Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that the US has launched its “Operation Pacific Eagle” in response to the request of the Philippine government for further help in countering Islamic State-inspired groups in the country. “We asked help from anyone, from all countries of the world because the threat of terrorism is not just in the Philippines, it’s a worldwide concern. So if countries want to give whatever assistance they could and they want to, it’s welcome,” Mr. Roque said. Asked whether the government’s move does not run counter to the President’s independent foreign policy, Mr. Roque said: “Well… an independent foreign policy recognizes that there are threats which are common to the entire humanity, and the threat of global terrorism is one of them.” — Arjay L. Balinbin

SENATOR GRACE Poe Llamanzares, chair of the public services committee, called on the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to “explain the science” behind its decision to cap the number of Grab, Uber and other ride-sharing units at 45,000 in Metro Manila, 500 in Metro Cebu, and 200 in Pampanga. “What’s the math used in this decision? What were the parameters used, like demand and supply?” Ms. Poe said in a statement released yesterday. The LTFRB recently issued Memorandum Circular 2018-003, which set a “common supply base” for transport network vehicle service (TNVS) providers. The LTFRB has assured the public that the base will be reviewed every quarter and adjusted correspondingly based on “churning rate.” Ms. Poe, however, pointed out that, “The review should not just be based on the churning rate, which is the number of vehicles that are no longer in the system. Instead, it should be based on an algorithm that determines supply and demand. The cap will also affect not just the TNCs but the livelihood of drivers of TNVS. Given that there are currently about 100k (thousand) TNVS combined, and this number is not enough to satisfy the demand of the public, then we should start with that as the base and adjust accordingly.”