No eruption has been recorded at Mayon Volcano in the past month, according to Phivolcs, yet videos purporting to show recent ash plumes have gone viral. These clips use images from the 2018 eruption and may have been altered with AI tools. The misinformation has sparked concern among Facebook users.
A Facebook reel posted on October 22 claimed to show an eruption at Mayon Volcano in Albay, garnering 1.8 million views, 22,600 reactions, 419 comments, and 2,900 shares. The video text stated, “Ito ngayon ang bulkang Mayon sa Albay (This is Mayon Volcano now here in Albay).” Another reel dated October 28 made a similar claim, achieving 22,000 views. Users expressed worry in comments, such as “Kakatakot ma’am ingat po kau jan (It’s scary, Ma’am. Stay safe there).”
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), no eruption has been recorded in the past month. Phivolcs’ October 30 bulletin places Mayon at Alert Level 1, indicating low-level unrest, with potential hazards including sudden steam-driven or phreatic eruptions, rockfalls, landslides, and lahars during heavy rain.
Mayon is an active stratovolcano in Albay province, renowned for its perfect cone shape. Its 1814 eruption remains the most destructive in terms of casualties and hazard reach. In February 2024, a phreatic eruption produced a plume 1,200 meters high.
The videos likely feature photos from the January 2018 eruption, similar to an image taken on January 16, 2018, by Zalrian Sayat of the European Press Photo Agency. They may also be AI-altered; Sight Engine detected a 78% and 59% probability of AI generation, while Hive Moderation found only 5.1%. Reverse image searches trace the footage to TikTok videos labeled as AI-generated.
This echoes previous Rappler fact checks on false volcanic eruption claims.