A senior Philippine Army officer in Bicol is calling on the New People’s Army (NPA) to implement a stop to offensive actions against the government as it focuses on efforts to cordon off danger zones surrounding the restive Mayon Volcano.

Lt. Col Santiago Enginco, Army’s 49tth Infantry Battalion commander, called on NPA rebels operating in areas surrounding the volcano which experts are continuously monitoring for its increased activity the past few weeks.

NPA rebels are known to operate in some of the villages in the area.

The military said it has ordered its soldiers to wear armbands to identify them as members of Task Force Mayon which is assigned to prevent civilians from entering the areas identified as danger zones around Mayon volcano.

Soldiers have been deployed in the footslopes of the volcano to persuade and prevent residents, as well as tourists, from still entering the danger areas.

The military and the communist rebels have been known to stop their respective offensive actions against each other in specific areas during periods of humanitarian crisis such as after earthquakes and heavy floods. The suspension of military offensives have been intended for each to focus on disaster management and relief efforts.

Close tourist areas?

In a meeting conducted by Albay Gov. Joey Salceda Sunday, he asked the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) to study if all tourist areas around the Mayon volcano should be closed. Salceda gave Phivolcs 5 days to submit its recommendation.

Phivolcs meanwhile have recorded 5 volcanic quakes in the 24-hour period.

Residents meanwhile are hoping that the volcano would not erupt.

In its July 10 bulletin, Phivolcs said that the present seismic count is at the same level when a phreatic explosion occurred last August 2008.

Phivolcs had said that the lava pile in the volcano's crater poses danger to the residents at the south east quadrant. Phivolcs explained that a continuous magma activity which could trigger small eruptions would cause the lava pile to detach. Detached lava could then cause pyroclastic flow which would be deadly to residents especially those farmers inside the six-kilometer permanent danger zone.

Phivolcs on July 10 raised Alert Level 2 (moderate unrest) over Mayon Volcano because of an increase in the number of low-frequency volcanic earthquakes, which reportedly indicates the movement of magma beneath the volcano edifice at shallow depth. With a report from Jose Carretero, ABS-CBN Bicol