The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Saturday lowered Taal Volcano's alert level status from level 3 to level 2 amid decreased unrest. It still warned the public to stay away from the volcano island in Batangas province, 66 km south of Manila,

"Sudden steam or gas-driven explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ash fall, and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas can occur and threaten areas within and around (the island)," the institute said. The institute raised the alert level for the volcano to 3 on a scale of 5 on July 1 after the island volcano spewed "a short-lived dark phreatomagmatic plume".

In an advisory, Phivolcs said there has been a "cessation of eruptive activity" at the volcano following the July 1 phreatomagmatic eruption and the small bursts recorded in the succeeding days. State volcanologists also observed generally declining gas emissions as well as "very slight" ground deformation in the area.

Alert Level 2 means steam-driven or phreatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, and ashfall can still occur in the vicinity of Taal Volcano Island, according to Phivolcs.  Taal volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines, last erupted in January 2020.  It displaced nearly 380,000 villagers and destroyed many farms, houses and roads in the province. It also stressed that entry into the island and Taal's Permanent Danger Zone is strictly prohibited

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