Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide information on the activities of volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis, as well as other specialized information and services primarily for the protection of life and property and in support of economic, productivity, and sustainable development. It is one of the service agencies of the Department of Science and Technology. PHIVOLCS monitors volcano, earthquake, and tsunami activity, and issues warnings as necessary. It is mandated to mitigate disasters that may arise from such volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and other related geotectonic phenomena.
History
This government organization was formed after a historical merging of official functions of government institutions. One of its first predecessors is the Philippine Weather Bureau created in 1901 when meteorological, seismological and terrestrial magnetic services of the Manila Observatory were transferred from the Roman Catholic Church to the American Colonial Government. It performed earthquake monitoring in the country and has inherited and maintained the early earthquake catalogue at that time. By 1972, the Philippine Weather Bureau was reorganized under Presidential Decree No. 78 into the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. A UNDP-funded project for PAGASA established a twelve-station earthquake monitoring network in the country. The other predecessor to PHIVOLCS, the Commission on Volcanology was created on June 20, 1952 by Republic Act no. 766 after the disastrous eruption of Hibok-Hibok Volcano in 1952. Under Executive Order no. 784 of March 17, 1982, the umbrella department of COMVOL, the National Science Development Board was reorganized into the National Science and Technology Authority, and COMVOL was restructured to become the Philippine Institute of Volcanology or PHIVOLC. The seismological arm of PAGASA was officially transferred to PHIVOLC on September 17, 1984, renaming the institute as the Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology or PHIVOLCS. NSTA, the umbrella department for PHIVOLCS and PAGASA, became the Department of Science and Technology in 1987. The technical staff and the 12-station earthquake monitoring network was fully integrated to PHIVOLCS in 1988. PHIVOLCS was headed by Raymundo Punongbayan from 1982 to 2003, and it is currently headed by Renato U. Solidum Jr. from 2003 to the present.
Classification of volcanoes in the Philippines
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology provides a classification system for the volcanoes of the country.
