FACT CHECK: Videos of Mayon eruption are AI-generated, volcano at Alert Level 3 as of January 9

Claim: Videos show the eruption of Mayon Volcano in Albay, as Alert Level 4 has now been raised. 

Rating: FALSE 

Why we fact-checked this: One video bearing the claim has already received 274,000 views, 957 shares, and 378 comments as of writing. It was posted on January 6, amid the increasing unrest at the volcano. 

The video shows a thick plume of ash coming out of Mayon. Text in the video reads, “Nasa Alert Level 4 na wag naman sana kawawa naman nakatira doon [Mayon] Volcano in Albay.”

(It’s already at Alert Level 4. I hope not. I pity the people living near Mayon Volcano in Albay).

Another video, posted on January 7, has already received 6,400 views, 70 shares, and 36 comments as of writing. The video shows a pyroclastic density current (PDC) or a fast-moving mixture of hot gas, volcanic ash, and rock fragments rushing down the slopes of a volcano.

The videos drew worried reactions from Facebook users, especially those from Albay province.

The facts: The videos are AI-generated and do not show the current state of Mayon Volcano.

Deepfake detector Hive Moderation flagged the video of a supposed PDC as 89.6% likely to contain AI-generated content.

Meanwhile, the other video purportedly showing Mayon’s eruption was 88.2% likely to contain AI-generated or deepfake content, according to Hive Moderation. A screenshot of the video was also flagged by AI image detector Sight Engine as 99% likely to be AI-generated content.

Alert level: Contrary to the claim, Mayon Volcano is currently under Alert Level 3 and not under Alert Level 4 as of January 9, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). 

Alert Level 3 means there is intensified or magmatic unrest. Entry into the 6-kilometer-radius permanent danger zone (PDZ) surrounding Mayon is prohibited, and aircraft are also barred from flying close to the volcano. 

Earlier, Phivolcs said the volcano could be raised to Alert Level 4 if authorities observe “lava fountaining and lava flow with occasional explosions and PDCs within the PDZ,” as well as increased sulfur dioxide emission, considerably more volcanic earthquakes, and swelling of the entire edifice. 

As of writing, over 3,000 residents have already been evacuated due to Mayon Volcano’s unrest. Authorities in Albay are also preparing for the possible evacuation of residents within the 7- to 8-kilometer-radius extended danger zone, should Mayon be placed under Alert Level 4.

It was placed under Alert Level 3 on January 6, less than a week after being placed under Alert Level 2 on New Year’s Day.

Previous fact checks: Rappler has previously debunked similar false claims about Mayon Volcano.

• FACT CHECK: No announcement of January 8 lockdown in Luzon due to Mayon Volcano unrest 
• FACT CHECK: No recent eruption at Mayon Volcano, video uses 2018 photos 
• FACT CHECK: No sudden phreatic eruption at Mayon Volcano on August 13 
• FACT CHECK: Mayon Volcano alert status has not been raised to Level 4 

– Angelee Kaye Abelinde/Rappler.com 

Angelee Kaye Abelinde is a student journalist based in Naga City, and an alumna of Rappler’s Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship 2024.