Mayon Volcano

A beautiful yet very dangerous mountain, taken a few days ago, the Mayon Volcano has gone quiet, is this the lull before the storm.
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Jackie Chan

Hong Kong action movie hero Jackie Chan crooned a 1962 Elvis Presley song and promoted his worldwide charity work on Friday as he signed a franchise deal in Manila to sell his Java coffee brand.

There was no mention of the actor's alleged drunken rant at a Taiwanese concert last month when, according to local newspapers, he demanded a duet with singer Jonathan Lee and traded insults with the audience.

Instead, the 56-year-old, who broke into Hollywood with his "Rush Hour" movie series, asked people to frequent his Java Coffee shop chain, where part of the profits will be spent on books and schools in Asia.

In three months, Jackie Chan's Java Coffee shop will open in Manila, the first in a chain spread across China, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines.

Through his Jackie Chan Charities Foundation, the actor, seen as the successor to martial arts legend Bruce Lee, has opened 17 schools in China and donated books and educational materials to children across Asia and Africa.

Chan arrived in Manila on a chartered private jet after his commercial flight from Hong Kong was cancelled due to fierce winds from typhoon Prapiroon. "I had a very tedious flight. I risked my life," he said, speaking through an interpreter.

Among the big names in politics, business and entertainment who welcomed the martial arts superstar were Gary Valenciano and Senator and Philippine National Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon. The Red Cross is one of the organizations that Chan supports.

Jackie was due to return to Hong Kong on Friday night to catch a flight to Paris, where he will begin filming the third installment of "Rush Hour" with Hollywood star Chris Tucker.

Jackie is also promoting his new action comedy "Rob-B-Hood". He is due to shoot a film in Japan that translates as "Shinjuku Incident" with Hong Kong director Derek Yee. A movie pitting him with fellow kung fu cinema icon Jet Li is also in the works.
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Mayon Volcano 1

On Sunday Mayon continued to send lava cascading down the slopes facing the Bonga gully before it splits toward Buyuan and Miisi channels in the southeast sector of the volcano.

Authorities here have warned residents of Mabinit, Bonga, Matanag and Buyuan all in Legazpi City, and Miisi in Daraga town to stay alert for flying rocks and pyroclastic explosions.

The volcano has already emitted about 10 million cubic meters of lava and pyroclastic materials onto the Bonga gully, adding up to the estimated 50 million cubic meters of volcanic ashes ejected in the 1993, 2000 and 2001 eruptions.

As the hot molten rocks continued to tumble down, disaster officials in Santo Domingo town reported that more villagers have sought refuge in evacuation centers.

There are now 2,335 people, or 495 families, who have fled their homes since Mayon began to get restive.

Mayor Herbie Aguas of Santo Domingo said the evacuees from the villages of Santa Misericordia, Fidel Surtica, San Isidro, Lidong and San Fernando are housed at the San Andres Resettlement Site and the Bicol evacuation center.

These villagers fled their homes due to ashfall.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) in Legazpi said the bulk of the lava and molten rocks that tumbled down through the Bonga gully in the southeast came from the volcano’s crater.

Ed Laguerta, resident volcanologist, said sulfur dioxide emitted by Mayon has reached a staggering 3,514 tons a day, indicating that the volcano has a sustained high level of seismic unrest.

Phivolcs detected 400 tremors caused by the continuous lava flow and rock falls. Scientist however noted that no volcanic earthquakes have been detected for the past 24 hours observation period.

Alert Level 3 remains hois­ted over Mayon, meaning residents are warned to stay away from the 6-km permanent danger zone and the 7-km extended PDZ in the southeast flank facing the Bonga gully.

Meanwhile, the Department of Tourism in Bicol has made a list of designated viewing areas to give local and foreign visitors a guide where to go and view Mount Mayon exhibiting its phenomenal beauty and fury.

These areas are Cagsawa ruins, Maharlika Highway along lower Malabog, Daraga Church, Lignon hill, all in Daraga town; Boulevard, Mayon International Hotel (MIH) at barangay Taysan, Tahao Road, Kapuntuka hill, all in this city.

Due to the influx of local and foreign visitors the tourism department coordinated and advised hotel and restaurant owners to improve their facilities specially the security of their hotel occupants.

The volcano towers 2,462 meters over the Legazpi landscape and covers an area of 250 square kilometers. It is the most active volcano in the Philippines with 47 recorded eruption since 1616
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