MANILA — The erupting Mayon Volcano has forced some 20,000 people to flee their homes, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Friday.

According to the agency, these residents are staying in 27 evacuation centers across Albay province.

So far, there have been no reported injuries.

"As long as nobody is inside the permanent danger zone, we don't expect any casualty," NDRRMC spokesperson Raffy Alejandro told ANC's "Headstart".

"But the challenge really is how to maintain or manage the evacuation centers because this is where we might have problems... We have to prevent outbreaks of diseases, problems in terms of health and sanitation," he added.

The agency received initial reports of cases of diarrhea in evacuation centers.

The Department of Health has also recorded cases of respiratory problems among evacuees.

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RELOCATION

Authorities are planning to relocate the families residing in the permanent danger zone around Mayon.

Diego Agustin Mariano, Office of Civil Defense's Joint Information Center chief, said this was the first long-term plan of the government to keep the residents safe from Mayon, as its unrest could persist for months.

"Ang isang paraan lang naman po para maalis sila sa bulkan is lumayo… lumayo po sa bulkan so, hangga’t maaari na makagawa po tayo ng mga bago nilang puwedeng paglagian or mga mas permanent na evacuation center na puwede nilang paglagian temporarily ‘no kapag nag-extend ng danger zone," Mariano said in a televised briefing.

"So, iyon po ‘yung numero uno nating long-term plan – mag-relocate ng mga kababayan na nasa loob at nasa malapit po nga sa danger zone," he added.

Mayon Volcano is currently under Alert Level 3, which means it has an increased tendency towards a hazardous eruption.

"In the event this will be escalated to Alert Level 4, we will add an additional 1 more kilometer or 2 kilometers [in the permanent danger zone]. That's easily another 10,000 to 15,000 individuals [in evacuation centers]," Alejandro said.

State volcanologists have said that the volcano could continue rumbling for months.

Mayon, about 330 kilometers southeast of Manila, is considered one of the most volatile of the country's 24 active volcanoes.

Earthquakes and volcanic activity are common in the Philippines due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where tectonic plates collide.

The country's most powerful eruption in recent decades was Mount Pinatubo in 1991 that killed more than 800 people. That disaster produced an ash cloud that travelled thousands of kilometers.

Mayon lies in a region also hit by many of the roughly 20 typhoons or tropical storms to strike the Philippines each year.

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— With a report from Agence France-Presse