TOP 10 MOST ACTIVE AND POTENTIALLY ACTIVE VOLCANOES IN THE PHILIPPINES

The Philippines sits within the Pacific Ring of Fire. This is the reason why the country often experiences ground shaking due to the presence of fault lines scattered across the archipelago. The Philippines is currently being rattled by the movement of Eurasian and the Philippine plates. There are multiple fault lines scattered across the nation, making it susceptible to earthquakes each day. The subduction zones in the archipelago are also causing pressure for the ground to cause a burst of magma in the surface of the Earth, known as Volcanoes.

The country is home to at least 25 active volcanoes and hundreds more potentially active ones that are living in a dormant stage. In this blog, I will be discussing my own Top 10 Most Active Volcanoes in the Philippines including some potentially active volcanoes.

1. Taal Volcano: The most popular volcano as of the moment due to its eruptive activity as of the moment. Taal Volcano is currently under Alert Level 4 status according to the Philippine Volcanology and Seismology due to the ongoing eruption. The volcano has now 35 eruptions in known history by the volcanologists.

2. Mayon Volcano: This is the Philippines' most active volcano. With an elevation of 2,462 meters above sea level, it is the highest mountain in the Bicol region. Mayon accumulated at least 50 eruptions with the recent in 2018.

3. Kanlaon: Located on the island of Negros in the Philippines. The volcano has at least 26 known eruptive history, making it the third most active volcano in the country. With an elevation of 2,435, it is the highest point on the island, making it suitable for vegetable farmers to plant temperate crops.



4. Bulusan Volcano: Another volcano in the Bicol Peninsula is silently spewing ash from time to time. Bulusan Volcano is the fourth most active volcano in the Philippines with 17 known eruptions recorded by the Phivolcs.


5. Hibok Hibok: This volcano created the island of Camiguin, which is also an island province in Mindanao. I went here last November of 2019 and I am thankful no eruption happened during my visit. With 5 eruptions in history with the latest in 1952, this island is really geologically active.

6. Smith Volcano: All the way to the northernmost island group in the Philippines, Smith Volcano is noticeably new. It has an estimated height of 600 meters above sea level with at least six known eruption history.

7. Mount Pinatubo: Unknown to many until it erupted in 1991, Pinatubo unleashed its hidden power to make the second-largest eruption in the 20th century after Novarupta in Alaska. Mount Pinatubo is a sacred mountain until it showed its real color that devastated Central Luzon.




8. Mount Parker: T'Boli tribe considers this volcano as a sacred mountain. Unknown to the present-day tribesmen, this sacred mountain blew up in 1641, creating a massive eruption similar to that of Mount Pinatubo.

9. Mount Musuan:  This is a small active volcano in Bukidnon, having to erupt at least two times in the 18th century. What is unique about this volcano is the presence of an installed cellular site to provide telecommunication services for the inhabitants surrounding the mountain.

10: Cagua: In Cagayan Valley, there is an interesting volcano that is now making a new tourist attraction. The volcano made one known eruption in 1907, reminding the residents of its active condition.

Potentially Active Volcanoes

• Mount Apo (Davao Provinces)
• Mount Arayat (Pampanga)
• Mount Banahaw (Quezon)
• Mount Santo Tomas (Benguet)
• Mount Makiling (Laguna)
• Mount Matutum (South Cotabato)

This is the Cleaner Manila Bay after the initial Rehabilitation

When you say Manila Bay, this is the famous Bay that Metro Manila always passes through the Roxas Boulevard. Before, many people just ignore the Baywalk while traversing the Roxas Boulevard in the capital city of Manila. In recent events, President Rodrigo Duterte announced to rehabilitate Manila Bay area as part of his campaign to make the Philippines safe and a cleaner place to stay. Now, Manila Bay has a new look that is now generating an instant attraction.

As I went to Manila Bay, I noticed something new. I saw a shore that has no garbage on it along the stretch of the Manila Bay on its east side along the Roxas Boulevard. That time became a surreal moment for me as I became ecstatic on how the City government of Manila is now keeping the Roxas Boulevard to look more appealing to all passers-by. I guess this is the first time that the local government units decided to make Manila Bay cleaner and to give more attracting aura to the public.

Me at the Manila Bay

As I arrived in Manila when I stomped into one of our local bus terminals, we took a rest for at least an hour before heading towards the Roxas Boulevard. And when I stepped into that Baywalk, I immediately went to the concrete platform and then saw the boulders protecting the wall. I became excited to escape from that concrete barrier and stepped to the rocks down towards the sand. I felt that surreal moment as I took a video and started to capture some of the colorful lights from the skyscrapers and the calm waters of Manila Bay.

One thing that I observed was when people wear jackets in a hot and humid area. I came to realize that it was the first week of February that day, which is one of the coldest dates in the year. From November to March, the northern Philippines experiences cold and dry weather due to the influence of Siberian winds from the north that goes down towards the West Pacific basin. I was also surprised to feel that it was indeed cold at that time when I arrived in Manila at 4:30 in the morning. People around me seems to be wearing jackets until the morning sun came through the horizon.

When I got into Roxas Boulevard, I really don't know how to start my vlog. My introduction, my main body, and conclusion. I immediately turned my camera on and started filming because we only have a few minutes to spend in that cold and slightly dark boulevard. I saw a few people who are taking their respective selfies to capture a special moment with their partners. Families start to gather in the area and some vendors are preparing them merchandise to sell their products.

I immediately stepped into the concrete barrier and then stepped into the huge boulders that act as protectors from the raging tides. When I get back on the shore, I realized that it was indeed clean. Well, I knew for a fact that a few inches away from the shore over the waters lies hidden rubbish of garbage submerged underwater.

While experiencing the surreal ambiance, I continued my video recordings while standing on the thin sandy shore of the beach as I document myself. After a few seconds, I return to the Baywalk, documented another clips to close the whole story and then closed the camera. Then I went to Makati to fix some papers.

A day after that visit to the Manila Bay, the local government units restricted any individual from approaching the shores of that area due to the threat of health. I was lucky enough to be there even for a few moment.

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