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, Director 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 on Saturday evening, indicating lava-like activity in the Binintiang Malaki crater of Taal island, which is not Taal Volcano’s main crater.
Lava flow-like activity glows on a part of the Taal volcanic island, taken on the evening of April 3, 2010, as posted by Carlo Miguel Saavedra on the GMANews.TV Facebook page. PHIVOLCS Director Renato Solidum says the agency has not monitored any seismic activity in the area, which will always accompany any lava flow.
At around 7 p.m. Saturday, Virgie Luvidece posted an inquiry asking, “Wala ba kayong update tungkol sa Taal volcano... sumasabog ito parang fountain.. maraming tourista ang kumukuha ng picture nito ngayon."
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."
Solidum surmised that the glowing spots in the pictures might merely be local residents engaged in kaingin, or slash-and-burn clearing of slopes prior to planting, although he hastened to add that he has not seen the pictures yet.
A check with the PHIVOLCS website showed no recent activity report for Taal volcano.—JV/HS, GMANews.TV
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