MANILA (UPDATED) — The erupting Mayon Volcano in Albay continues to ooze lava and remains under Alert Level 3, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Saturday.

Retaining the Alert Level 3 status over the Mayon means a hazardous eruption is still possible.

In the past 24 hours, the state seismology office recorded 2 volcanic earthquakes and 280 rockfall events at Mayon, including 9 Pyroclastic Density Current events.

The Albay volcano also emitted 978 tons of sulfur dioxide in a day.

As of Friday, some 20,000 people fled their homes due to the Mayon's continued unrest, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

The NDRRMC said these residents are staying in 27 evacuation centers across Albay province.

According to Eugene Escobar, the head of the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office, water supply remains the primary challenge for the evacuees. Potable water is being delivered to the evacuation centers with help from the Philippine Red Cross.

A team from the Philippine Army has also set up a water filtration machine, while a team from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and Sorsogon arrived on Friday to help distribute drinking water to the evacuees.

Meanwhile, Taal and Kanlaon volcanoes are still under Alert Level 1, as of Saturday morning.

PROLONGED UNREST

State volcanologists have said that the Mayon 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 which killed more than 800 people. That disaster produced an ash cloud that traveled 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.

• Phivolcs: Mayon unrest may take months as thousands stay in evacuation centers
• Mayon Volcano evacuees ask gov’t for livelihood assistance

— With reports from Agence France-Presse and Jose Carretero, ABS-CBN News

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