TAAL volcano emitted high levels of sulfur dioxide gas on Sunday afternoon as it continued to show magmatic unrest, the Philippine Institute of Volcanogy and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.

Phivolcs issued a notice of "anomalously high volcanic SO2 gas emission" from Taal Volcano at 4:15 p.m.

Taal Volcano has been under Alert Level 3 or Magmatic Unrest since Thursday after a short-lived phreatic explosion.

According to Phivolcs, an average of 22,628 tonnes/day was recorded Sunday, the highest ever recorded in Taal.

Phivolcs also recorded a total of 26 strong and very shallow low-frequency volcanic earthquakes associated with magmatic dressing beneath the eastern sector of Volcano Island.

"Some of these earthquakes were reportedly accompanied by rumbling and weakly felt by fish cage caretakers off the northeastern shorelines of Volcano Island. These observation parameters may indicate that an eruption similar to the 1 July 2021 event may occur anytime soon," the agency added.

Phivolcs reminded the public to take precautions and to be on alert as the volcano's main crater may continue to spit out sulfur dioxide which is hazardous to human health.

Such activity, Phivolcs warned, may further drive succeeding explosions.

Phivolcs has recommended that Taal Volcano Island and high-risk barangays of Bilibinwang and Banyaga, Agoncillo and Boso-boso, Gulod and eastern Bugaan East, Laurel, Batangas Province remain evacuated due to the possible hazards of pyroclastic density currents and volcanic tsunami should stronger eruptions subsequently occur.

Taal Volcano is a Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) and entry into the island as well as high-risk barangays of Agoncillo and Laurel in Batangas is prohibited.

All activities on Taal Lake are barred at this time.

Meanwhile, communities around the Taal Lake shore were advised to remain vigilant and be prepared for emergency or immediate evacuation in case the magmatic unrest intensifies.

Phivolcs advised local government units (LGUs) to implement measures such as doing health checks on communities affected by vog to assess the severity of sulfur dioxide impacts on people and to consider temporary evacuation of severely exposed residents.

Due to the volcano's unrest, civil aviation authorities were advised that flying over Taal Volcano Island must be avoided as airborne ash and ballistic fragments from sudden explosions and pyroclastic density currents such as base surges may pose hazards to aircraft.

Full alert for task force

Meanwhile, the Department of Energy (DOE)-led Task Force on Energy Resiliency is on full alert.

"I instructed the DOE-led Task Force on Energy Resiliency to be on full alert, activate action and business continuity plans, prepare for the worst-case scenario with the current Covid-19 pandemic, and maintain round-the-clock communications, especially with NDRRMC and DOST-Phivolcs," said DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi.

The task force, led by DOE Undersecretary Alexander S. Lopez, convened energy stakeholders in the oil and power industries in an emergency meeting to present possible worst-case scenarios for both power and oil supply with the corresponding action plans.

Lopez cited the measures to be implemented alongside the current Covid-19 pandemic, particularly the health protocols and the ongoing vaccination rollout.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP)–South Luzon activated its preparedness plan for substations and transmission lines. These included securing equipment and machineries, equipping their response teams for the cleaning of insulators, and having their teams from other regions on standby for possible deployment.  The National Transmission Corporation (Transco) is closely coordinating with the NGCP on the status of the grid.

The National Electrification Administration (NEA) has advised electric cooperatives to activate the emergency response organization handling emergency response protocol implementation, and ensure enough manpower for power restoration activities.

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