Luzon Not Facing January 8 Lockdown Over Mayon Volcano Activity

Philippine Authorities Deny Rumors of Lockdown Due to Mayon Volcano Activity

Government officials have dismissed false claims circulating on social media about an impending lockdown in Metro Manila, Mimaropa, Calabarzon, and other Philippine regions allegedly planned for January 8, 2026, due to Mayon Volcano’s increased activity.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) did elevate Mayon Volcano’s status to Alert Level 3 on Tuesday, January 6, indicating an “increased tendency towards a hazardous eruption.” However, no lockdowns have been announced for any regions in the country.

The misleading information originated from a Facebook page called “Nagkakaisang Pilipino TV Newsline,” which posted AI-generated videos featuring a fabricated news report. The posts, which collectively garnered over 40,000 views and hundreds of shares, claimed authorities would implement lockdowns across multiple regions and advised the public to wear face masks for protection.

“This claim is completely false,” said a Phivolcs spokesperson. “While we have recommended evacuations within the 6-kilometer-radius permanent danger zone immediately surrounding Mayon, we have not suggested any lockdowns for distant regions like Metro Manila, which is approximately 330 kilometers away from the volcano.”

The misleading videos can be identified as artificially generated by the Google Veo watermark visible in the lower-right corner. Additionally, a link included in the posts’ captions, purportedly listing areas under lockdown, redirects users to an e-commerce app download—a common phishing tactic.

Mayon Volcano, located in Albay province, has shown increased activity since the beginning of January. Phivolcs’ monitoring revealed 346 rockfall events and four volcanic earthquakes since January 1, a significant increase compared to previous months. The agency noted that “repeated collapse of the unstable summit dome has generated an increasing number and volume of rockfall events.”

The current Alert Level 3 status indicates that Mayon is “exhibiting magmatic eruption of a summit lava dome, with increased chances of lava flows and hazardous pyroclastic density currents affecting the upper to middle slopes of the volcano.” Phivolcs has warned of potential explosive activity within days or weeks.

This marks the first time Mayon has been placed under Alert Level 3 since June 2023. The volcano’s alert level was initially raised from Level 1 to Level 2 on January 1, 2026, following preliminary signs of increased volcanic activity.

Volcanic activity from Mayon has historically posed significant risks to surrounding communities. The volcano, famous for its nearly perfect cone shape, is among the Philippines’ most active volcanoes and has erupted more than 50 times in the past 500 years. Its most destructive eruption occurred in 1814, when lava flows buried a town and killed 1,200 people.

Local disaster management authorities in Albay province have implemented preparedness measures around the volcano’s immediate vicinity, including evacuation protocols for residents within the designated danger zone. However, these safety measures do not extend to far-flung regions like Metro Manila, Mimaropa, or Calabarzon.

Officials urge the public to obtain information only from official sources such as Phivolcs and local disaster risk reduction management offices. The spread of misinformation during natural disasters can cause unnecessary panic and complicate emergency response efforts.

Phivolcs continues to closely monitor Mayon’s activity and will issue updates as the situation evolves.