More than 34,000 residents displaced by the eruption of the Philippines' most active volcano are being allowed to return home despite a high level of alert. The residents were being sent home as part of efforts to decongest evacuation centers around Mayon Volcano in Albay province, 330 kilometers south of Manila, Claudio Yucot, a regional civil defense director, said on Friday. "We have seen how congested some of the evacuation centers and based on our discussions with volcanologists, it is safe to send those living outside the extended danger zone back to their homes," he said. "We also understand that there is really no substitute to the comfort of your home," he added. The displaced residents that are being allowed to return to their houses are from 27 villages located outside an 8-kilometre-radius extended danger zone, said Cedric Daep, head of the provincial safety and emergency office. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has kept the alert at Mayon at level four, which means that a hazardous eruption is possible within days or weeks, dpa reported.
