Heal;th Secretary Teodoro 'Teddy' Herbosa on Sunday warned the public to refrain from conducting sightseeing near the danger zones of Mayon Volcano in Albay province.
In a press briefing, Herbosa said that the gas and dust particle emissions coming from the volcano could be extremely dangerous to a person's health.
"'Yung sulfur at sulfur dioxide na kumakapit sa Hemoglabin iyan, nakaka-poison ng dugo. Tapos 'yung gas naman at ash can stick sa lungs natin," he explained.
Herbosa said the public should ensure that they are well protected by wearing an N95 respirator mask.
"Better, kung lumayo na lang at huwag na lang manuod sa malapit na area," he added.
Over the weekend, local and international tourists flocked to the safe sightseeing areas designated by the local government units like Quituinan Hills in Camalig City to personally see Mount Mayon and its activities.
Albay Governor Edcel 'Grex' Lagman earlier said that they are not closing the borders of the province and tourists are still welcome to see Mayon Volcan beyond the six-kilometer danger zone.
"If an Albayano and their family is not within the six-kilometer danger zone, they are safe. That's acutally why there's an welcome mindset among people here in the government to welcome tourists who would want to see Mayon," he earlier said.
"As long as the tourists are beyond the six-kilometer danger zone, they are perfectly safe," Lagman added.
Albay province is presently under a state of calamity due to the threat of a "hazardous" eruption of Mayon Volcano.
State seismologists earlier raised the Alert level in Mount Mayon from Level 2 to Level 3.
