Facts and Figures: The Taal Volcano

Taal Volcano is known to be the second most active volcano in the Philippines located in the province of Batangas, following Mount Mayon located in Albay. One of the facts about the Taal Volcano is that it has recorded around 38 eruptions which caused deaths on the island where some people live around the lake and island. Taal volcano is also part of the Ring of Fire. Ring of Fire or the Pacific ring of fire, the Rim of fire, the Girdle of fire, or the Circum-Pacific belt is where most of the volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur around the Pacific Ocean. It is also where plate tectonics creates movement and starts to destroy the lithospheric plates which are the outermost shell of our planet that is located under and around the Pacific Ocean.

Facts about the Taal Volcano:

Located on a small island and is around 65 miles away from Manila
Situated in the province of Batangas
One of the smallest volcanoes in the world
A second most active volcano in the Philippines
Recorded at least 38 eruptions within 450 years
The Taal caldera is filled with lakes because of the past eruptions between 140,000 and 5,380 BP
One of the most captured volcanoes and lakes in the Philippines
Had recorded several eruptions in the past raising the death toll to all most 6,000
Part of the Pacific Ring of Fire

Facts about the Taal volcano is also in the first highest alert level eruption happened last January 2020, it has been 43 years back since its last eruption, caused a lot of school and work suspensions as it started blowing up ashes over Metro Manila, Calabarzon, and some parts of Central Luzon and Ilocos Region as PHILVOCS or Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology declared an alert level 4 that may result to an explosive eruption in within the next hours and days. The smaller eruptions that happened last July 2021 and then on March 2022 alerted PHILVOCS to alert level 3 and its towns around it.

Origin of the Taal Volcano

Since we are done with the facts about the Taal Volcano, let us discuss the origin of the Taal Volcano or the local myths around it. During prehistoric times, there was a man called Nuno who lived on top of the mountain of Taal his house was sitting on the topmost part of the mountain but the locals and Nuno are friendly and no one fears him as he is so kind to the locals. Nuno has been taking care of the plants in the mountain and they grew well. Nuno talked and asked the locals if they can plant tobacco around the mountain but not up to the certain line he dictated that no tobacco should be planted. As the locals generously followed his will, they planted all the tobacco to ground up to the designated line on top of the mountain following locals became wealthy by planting tobacco. One day, Nuno called for a meeting saying that he will leave the mountain and the locals for a very long time. He also said that they can continue planting around the mountainside but not to extend in the designated line and that a certain violation would be implemented he said he would confiscate all the fields and the tobacco planted and he left to an unknown place. As time goes by for a very long time, he never came back. The locals have asked around his whereabouts but not any single person could tell where he is. When the time comes that tobacco prices became so high, the farmers were tempted to plant around the forbidden area. As a year already passed, nothing bad had happened to farmers due to their disobedience of planting on the restricted grounds. Another year has gone by again and they were celebrating a fiesta in the house of Nuno, a strong and violent earthquake happened to cause the locals so terrified and frightened causing them to flee the mountain and leave. They had come back in the next few days, they saw that all of the tobacco they planted in the restricted area had disappeared and was now gone. As the part of the mountain in the boundary line flew high up in the sky and then a massive hole formed and smoke started to come out. As Nuno had told the locals, he kept his word that if anyone disobeys he will get all the tobacco planted for his use. Small barrios have started growing again on the side of the mountains but no plants are growing on its side. The following generation is still continuously waiting for the return of Nuno but should wait until he finishes smoking all of the tobacco he got from the natives and locals for their disobedience.

As we know that myths from our older generation and natives may be true or not. But this myth about the Taal Volcano could help us revisit how old our culture is and how maybe some fairies or dainties are guiding us and teaching us such lessons in life and all we have to do is follow and obey them. It is okay to believe in such folklores or myths but we must know that some of them maybe are not true and are just created for people to believe in certain things and to make people believe in such origin of things around us. There is no harm in believing in such but we must not forget the real and the facts about the Taal Volcano.

Places to visit near Taal Volcano

As we are done discussing the facts about the Taal Volcano, it is then now known to be one of the tourist attractions in the South and near Manila for a quick coffee and chill staycations around and near the Taal Volcano.

1. Sky Ranch

Sky Ranch is a 5-hectare amusement park near the Taal Volcano. The park has 14 attractions that can be enjoyed by everyone and enjoy their famous 63-meter Ferris wheel you can see the whole Tagaytay and look at the Taal lake from far away.