Mayon Volcano is pictured covered by an umbrella-like cloud from Puro, Legazpi City in Albay. Chito L. Aguilar, ABS-CBN News/File
MANILA — The status of Mayon Volcano in Albay province was downgraded from Alert Level 2 to 1 on Thursday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.
Alert Level 1, the lowest in a 5-tier alert system of Mayon Volcano, indicates low-level unrest with a diminished likelihood of eruption.
Its previous status Alert Level 2 means there's a moderate level of unrest and can eventually lead to an eruption, according to Phivolcs.
The lowering of Mayon Volcano's alert level was announced by Phivolcs as the volcano "exhibited a steady decline in its monitored parameters" since January this year.
But state volcanologists said the downgrade "should not be interpreted that [the] unrest has completely ceased."
"In the event of a renewed increase in any one or combination of the above monitoring parameters, the alert status may step up once again to Alert Level 2," it added.
Mayon Volcano last erupted in 2018 and displaced at least 80,000 residents.
It is one of the 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines, according to Phivolcs.