The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the "phreatic eruption" occurred around 10.37 a.m., and lasted approximately 17 minutes.
Ashfall was reported in towns near the volcano, located in Sorsogon province, southeast of Manila, Xinhua news agency quoted the Institute as saying.
"Alert level one is now raised over Bulusan volcano, which means that it is currently in an abnormal condition," it said, warning of "increased possibilities of sudden and hazardous phreatic eruptions".
The phreatic eruption is a "steam-driven explosion that occurs when water beneath the ground or surface is directly heated by hot rocks or new volcanic deposits or indirectly by magma or magmatic gas".
Before the eruption, the Institute said it recorded 77 volcanic earthquakes in the past 24 hours.
The institute prohibited people from entering the 4-km danger zone and urged residents of villages in the extended danger zone to be vigilant.
"People living within valleys and along the river and stream channels, especially on the southeast, southwest and northwest sector of the edifice, should be vigilant against sediment-laden stream flows in the event of heavy and prolonged rainfall should a phreatic eruption occur," the Institute warned.
It also warned airplanes to avoid flying close to the volcano's summit.
Bulusan is one of the Philippines' most active volcanoes.
In January 2018, the volcano spewed ash about 2.5 km high into the sky.
The competition will start from November 10 and will continue till November 30.
Roy received the invitation from Miss Asia Pacific International Organisation on October 20. She expressed her gratitude to the organization through social media for giving her such opportunity.
Before her journey to the island country, she met Odisha Governor SC Jamir at Raj Bhawan on Tuesday. "It's my honour to meet Governor of Odisha SC Jamir at the Governor House. Really happy and proud to be born in Odisha and above all proud to represent India at Philippines for Miss Asia Pacific International 2017 along with participants from 60 other countries. Thank u all for your love and blessings,” she posted on her Facebook account.
Also Read: Odia girl Sonika eyes Miss Asia Pacific International crown
Roy is toiling hard to give her best in the competition. "I am spending 12 hours a day for the competition unlike earlier times. If a girl from India, especially from Odisha excels in an international event, it would be a real honour for all," she told media.
In this year’s edition, Tessa le Conge of the Netherlands will crown her successor.
An actress, Sonika was among the top three finalists in Femina Miss India -2017, which was eventually won by Christeena Biju.
Sources added, India has won the pageant thrice in the past. The first Indian to win the title was famous Bollywood actress Zeenat Aman. She had achieved the feat in 1970. Then Tara Anne Fonseca had won the title in 1973. After a gap of 27 years, Diya Mirza had bagged it in 2000.
No damage has been reported by the Philippine government yet.
The institute said the quake hit at 11.39 a.m. (Philippines time) at a depth of 49 km. The epicentre was located 162 km southeast of Governor Generoso in Davao Oriental, Xinhua news agency reported.
A tsunami warning has been issued.
According to CNN, the US Geological Survey (USGS) initially said the earthquake was 7.2 magnitude and later, revised that number to 6.9, and then to 7.
The Phivolcs said the tremor, which was tectonic in origin, is not expected to cause damage but major aftershocks are expected, Xinhua reported.
India had pinned high hopes on Nehal, 22, to end a long drought for the country at the pageant as Lara Dutta had last brought back the crown in 2000.
But South Africa's Tamaryn Green, a medical student, and Venezuela's Sthefany Guterrez, studying to be a lawyer, secured the first runner-up and second runner-up spots at the gala ceremony, where Spain's Angela Ponce made history as the first transgender woman to contend for the title of Miss Universe.
Hosted by Emmy Award-winning Steve Harvey, the show here on Sunday saw Gray taking an ecstatic first walk as Miss Universe in a dazzling red gown with a thigh-high slit. She was crowned by Miss Universe 2017 Demi Leigh Nel-Peters, who comes from South Africa.
Gray holds a Master Certificate in Music Theory. An adventure junkie, she is an HIV/AIDS advocate and volunteers as a Teacher's Assistant to the students at an NGO according to the official Miss Universe website.
In the final question round, Gray was asked about the most important lesson she has learnt in life and how would she apply it in her time as Miss Universe.
She said: "I work a lot in the slums of Manila and life there is very poor and sad. I have always taught myself to look for the beauty in it, to look for the beauty in the faces of the children, and I would bring this aspect as a Miss Universe to see situations with a silver lining and to asses where I could give something and provide something.
"And if I could also teach people to be grateful, we could have an amazing world where negativity would not brew and foster, and children would have a smile on their face."
Earlier in the competition, Gray was asked about her views on legalisation of marijuana. She said: "I am all for it being used in medical use but not so much for recreational use, because I think if people were to argue what about cigarettes and alcohol... Well, everything is good, but in moderation."
The competition began with the Top 20, with five semi-finalists being chosen from each region -- The Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia Pacific, as well as a Wild Card category.
In a newly formed segment, the contestants were made to make an 'Opening Statement', giving out a message for the world.
Then, the contestants were narrowed down to the Top 10, leading to the swimsuit and evening gown rounds. They were further streamlined to the Top 5 and were asked interesting questions ranging from issues like MeToo to immigration.
Singer Ne-Yo lent a musical touch and Ponce took a proud walk down the ramp, winning a standing ovation for representing diversity and inclusion in its true sense.
Gray was ecstatic as she took her first walk as Miss Universe in a dazzling red gown with a thigh-high slit. She was crowned by Miss Universe 2017 Demi Leigh Nel-Peters, who comes from South Africa.
In the final question round, Gray was asked about the most important lesson she has learnt in life and how would she apply it in her time as Miss Universe.
She said: "I work a lot in the slums of Manila and life there is very poor and sad. I have always taught myself to look for the beauty in it, to look for the beauty in the faces of the children, and I would bring this aspect as a Miss Universe to see situations with a silver lining and to asses where I could give something and provide something.
"And if I could also teach people to be grateful, we could have an amazing world where negativity would not brew and foster, and children would have a smile on their face."negativity."
The winner, who pipped 93 other contestants to win the title, has a love for the arts and holds a Master Certificate in Music Theory. She is an adventure junkie and is passionate about her love for Filipino dishes including adobo, balut and the sweetest mangoes in the world.
As for her philanthropic side, she is an HIV/AIDS advocate at Love Yourself PH and volunteers as a Teacher's Assistant to the students of Young Focus NGO, according to the official Miss Universe website.
South Africa's Tamaryn Green was named the first runner-up. A medical student, her favourite quote is from Mahatma Gandhi: "Be the change you want to see in the world."
The second runner-up, Miss Venezeula Sthefany Guterrez is studying to be a lawyer in her home country.
Mangkhut is now expected to move inland of China's western Guangdong on Monday. While the storm has weakened, a T8 warning was still in place into Sunday evening -- meaning that winds with speeds of about 63 kph were expected, CNN reported.
The storm has carved a deadly trail across the region, killing two people in southern China and at least 54 people in the Philippines, with more than 250,000 people affected.
Many of the Philippines' deaths were caused by landslides, with dozens more still believed to be buried beneath the deluge, government officials said at a news conference on Sunday.
More than 2.45 million people have been evacuated in Guangdong as Mangkhut made landfall on Sunday night, according to Chinese state media.
Some 18,327 emergency shelters had been activated in the province, and that 632 tourism and 29,611 construction sites had been shut down.
As Mangkhut moved toward the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong was also buffeted by fierce winds that tore off roofs, downed trees and caused cranes perched atop half-built skyscrapers to swing ominously.
Hong Kong's weather observatory issued its highest storm warning alert -- a signal T10 -- and the normally bustling city was all but shut down as transport was suspended and torrential rain flooded roads and buildings.
Winds of 173 kph and gusts of up to 223 kph were reported, stronger than Hurricane Florence that hit North Carolina over the weekend. There were no reported deaths in Hong Kong.
Airports in Shenzhen, a technology hub across the border from Hong Kong, and on the resort island of Hainan also cancelled all flights.
Mangkhut is still expected to bring heavy rain to Hong Kong, with flood warnings in place for low-lying areas.
Presidential adviser Francis Tolentino confirmed these figures in Cagayan province, where the season's most powerful typhoon made landfall on Saturday morning, reports Efe news.
Most of the deaths occurred due to landslides in mountainous regions, which received torrential rainfall and strong winds during Mangkhut's passage.
Twenty of them occurred in Cordillera region, four in Nueva Ecija and one in Ilocos, according to national government figures.
According to Tolentino, at the moment there is no information on victims in the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela, on the north-eastern coast of the island of Luzon.
President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to visit the affected areas on Sunday and inspect the damage.
After making landfall in Baggao in the north-eastern most tip of the country, Mangkhut caused wind gusts of up to 305 kph, torrential rains, floods and waves of up to six metres.
In its westward trajectory, the typhoon weakened slightly and left the Philippine area of responsibility at around 9 p.m., heading towards Hong Kong with sustained winds of 170 kph.
Mangkhut, the strongest storm anywhere on the planet in 2018, made landfall in Cagayan province, on the northern tip of Luzon Island at about 2.30 a.m., with gusts as high as 325 km per hour, reports CNN.
After the centre of the storm passed the Philippines, Mangkhut's winds slowed enough for the typhoon to lose its "super" status, but it remains a very powerful storm system with maximum sustained winds of 215 kph, equivalent to a category 4 hurricane.
It's now pounding the Philippines with heavy rain, and heading west into the South China Sea towards Hong Kong and southern China.
An estimated 5.2 million people are within 125 km of the projected path of the super typhoon, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
The scale of the typhoon could be felt in the Philippines capital Manila, more than 340 km from the eye of the storm, where heavy overnight rains have led to widespread flooding in urban areas.
Mangkhut is on track to be as strong as super typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 6,000 people dead in the Philippines in 2013, though that storm hit a more populated part of the country.
Northern Luzon was also devastated in 2016 by super typhoon Haima, with 14,000 houses destroyed and 50,000 homes damaged, according to CNN Philippines.
Mangkhut is expected to make landfall early Sunday in southern China. It will make another landfall on Sunday night in western Guangdong.
In a speech delivered on Tuesday night at the presidential palace, Duterte, who has sought improved ties with Beijing since taking office two years ago, called on China to respect countries' right of passage through waters Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands.
He said that it was "wrong" that China claims these disputed waters as its territories since they are "considered a part of international sea" and "the right of innocent passage is guaranteed", according to the official transcript of a speech provided on Wednesday.
"You cannot create an island. It's man-made and you say that the air above these artificial islands is yours," Duterte was cited as saying by Efe news.
Despite a ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) two years ago which attributed the rights in the area to Manila, Beijing went on to occupy the territories and build large artificial islands with military facilities.
"They have to rethink that, because that would be a flashpoint someday and even, you know, warning others," he said.
In recent weeks, the Philippines media has published videos and recordings of radio transmissions in which the Chinese Coast Guards, in a threatening tone, asked foreign boats to leave the disputed waters.
The Philippines, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei claim all or parts of the Spratly Islands, but Beijing has built artificial islands on the reefs to de facto appropriate them.
This is the first time that Duterte has openly condemned the Chinese military presence in the disputed Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands.
During his two years in office, he chose not to explicitly claim Manila's rights over them, by virtue of the favourable ruling of the PCA, in exchange for Chinese investment.
The mass wedding at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Straight (LGBTS) Christian Church started at 8 a.m. in the morning, reports Efe news.
The Church, which had been at the forefront of a campaign urging the Philippines government to pass a marriage equality bill, holds mass LGBT weddings, known as Holy Unions, every year.
The Church's website clarifies that the ceremony is pure rituals, without the legal sanctity of a heterosexual marriage ceremony.
"Unfortunately, in the Philippines we have no Marriage Equality Law or the Same-Sex Marriage Law yet," a guideline on the same sex Holy Union on the website said.
The country's Supreme Court on June 19 began hearing a petition that urged the government to legalise same-sex marriage in the country.
The quake struck at 3.43 a.m. 39 km east of Gonzaga town in Cagayan at a depth of 23 km, Xinhua news agency reported. No damages were reported.
The tremors were also felt in Santiago and Laoag City. Aftershocks were expected, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said all six people, including the two pilots aboard the six-seater twin-engined Piper PA-23 Apache plane, were killed.
Police said the plane landed on a house and erupted in flames. A resident of the house was also killed, Xinhua reported.
CAAP spokesman Eric Apolonio said the plane, operated by Lite Express, crashed in a residential area a few minutes after it took off at 11.21 a.m. It was reportedly bound for Laoag City in Ilocos Norter province.
On Tuesday, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff General Cirilito Sobejana said that another critically injured soldier died, which increased the death toll to 53, reports Xinhua news agency.
He said that seven of the 50 soldiers killed in the crash have been identified, while many of the victims were charred and "beyond recognition".
Aside from soldiers, Sobejana said three civilians were also killed and four others injured on the ground due to the impact of the crash.
The C-130 Hercules transport plane, carrying 96 soldiers and crew, crashed upon landing on Sunday on Jolo island in Sulu province.
The newly trained soldiers were being transported to Sulu to help fight terrorists.
The accident was the deadliest Philippine Air Force (PAF) plane crash in the past three decades.
Quoting one of the 46 soldiers who survived the crash, Sobejana said the military plane "bounced three times before it zigzagged and attempted to lift but failed to regain power".
One of the plane's wings slammed a tree, causing the aircraft to swerve to the right and crashed, he added.
Sobejana said that the flight data recorder could help determine the cause of the accident.
"We will hear from the black box what the last conversation of the pilots and crew members from the cockpit was," Sobejana said in a television interview.
Sobejana has instructed the investigators to complete the probe "as fast as they can", adding "they should be very deliberate".
President Rodrigo Duterte flew to Zamboanga City on Monday night to pay his respect to the victims and visit the survivors.
The Philippines, Asean's rotating chair for 2017, set the theme of "Partnering for Change, Engaging the World", putting security and regional integrity high on the agenda, reports Xinhua news agency.
At the opening ceremony, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said that the next two days will present excellent opportunities for Asean leaders and their dialogue partners to engage in meaningful discussions on matters of regional and intentional importance.
"Terrorism and violent extremism endanger the peace, stability and security of our region because these threats know no boundaries," he said, adding that piracy and armed robbery on the seas also put a dent on growth and disrupt the stability of both regional and global commerce.
The non-traditional security issues are challenging "the prosperity of regional economies, the integrity of our institutions, and more importantly the safety of Asean people", Duterte said.
On regional cooperation, Duterte said it "has been a pleasure to work with our Asean family and the dialogue partners in moving the Asean community forward in enhancing cooperation in various areas".
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also attended the opening ceremony.
Related meetings scheduled for Monday and Tuesday include the Asean+1 summits, Asean+3 (China, Japan and South Korea) Summit and the East Asia Summit.
Asean countries and more than 10 dialogue partners, including international organisations such as the European Union (EU) and the UN, will discuss issues of common concern.
Leaders of 10 Asean countries and six of its dialogue partners, namely Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, will meet for their first Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) leaders' meeting on Tuesday, the first such meeting after related negotiations started in 2012.
Asean Secretary General Le Luong Minh will attend the meeting.
At the closing ceremony of the Asean summit and related summits on Tuesday, Duterte will hand over the chairmanship of Asean to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, the incoming chair for 2018.
Established in 1967, Asean, which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
The Asean Community, with the Political-Security Community, the Economic Community and the Socio-Cultural Community as three pillars, was established at the end of 2015.
The moderately quake which occurred at around 8.30 a.m. was traced 22 km southeast of Malapatan township at a depth of 30 km, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.
The intensity of the quake in Digos was five.
The Philippines sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire where continental plates collide, causing frequent quakes and volcanic activity.
All 96 passengers and crew in the C-130H aircraft that crashed upon landing on Sunday on Jolo island in Sulu province have been accounted for, the Department added.
It said 47 soldiers died in the crash while 49 others were injured, adding that three civilians on the ground were also killed and four others wounded, reports Xinhua news agency.
Major General Edgard Arevalo, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson, said retrieval operations for plane parts, including the black box, are ongoing at the crash site.
An investigation team is on the way to Sulu, he told a radio interview.
The military plane was carrying newly-trained army personnel when it crashed and burst into flames after overshooting the runway.
Minutes after the crash, troops and civilian volunteers rushed to the site for search and rescue.
"As per witnesses, a number of soldiers were seen jumping out of the aircraft before it hit the ground, sparing them from the explosion caused by the crash," the military said.
According to Philippine Air Force (PAF) documents, the crashed plane was a second-hand C-130 Hercules recently purchased from the US military.
Military documents showed that the aircraft arrived in the Philippines in January this year.
The US officially turned over the plane during a ceremony in February.
The C-130H aircraft NR 5125 first flew in 1988 and served in US Air Force until it was put in storage in 2016 before it was sold and delivered to the PAF in January 2021, according to local media reports.
"President Trump enjoyed the conversation and said that he is looking forward to visiting the Philippines in November," the statement said on Saturday, adding that Trump invited Duterte to the White House "to discuss the importance of the US-Philippines alliance."
The White House statement noted that Trump and Duterte discussed the country's war on drugs, The Hill magazine reported.
"They also discussed the fact that the Philippine government is fighting very hard to rid its country of drugs, a scourge that affects many countries throughout the world," it added.
Duterte made headlines last year when he told former President Barack Obama to "go to hell" after he criticised the Philippine leader's drug war.
"I am the President of a sovereign country, and I am not answerable to anyone except the Filipino people. Son of a b***h, I will swear at you," Duterte said.
Since he took office last year, Duterte has encouraged the extrajudicial killings of thousands of citizens accused of dealing or using drugs, reports the magazine.
He also compared his campaign to kill criminals to the Holocaust.
The Filipino leader also compared himself to Trump earlier this month, praising the US President as "a realistic and a pragmatic thinker" and saying of his approach to tackling illegal drug trade "he will really kill you".
As of Sunday evening, at least 50 injured personnel were being treated at a local hospital, Xinhua news agency reported.
Rescuers are still looking for 17 unaccounted people, said Joint Task Force Sulu Commander Major General William Gonzales.
"We remain to be hopeful that we could find more survivors. Our search and rescue are still ongoing," he said.
The plane carrying army personnel crashed and burst into flames earlier on Sunday while attempting to land at the Jolo airport.
"The plane missed the runway and tried to regain power but failed," said Armed Forces of the Philippine chief of staff General Cirilito Sobejana in a statement.
Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that more than 90 personnel were on board the plane, including three pilots and five crew.
The military said the plane was transporting "new privates of the Philippine Army who were en route to their deployment to end terrorism in Sulu".
Minutes after the crash, troops and civilian volunteers rushed to the site for search and rescue.
"Per eyewitnesses, a number of soldiers were seen jumping out of the aircraft before it hit the ground, sparing them from the explosion caused by the crash," the military said.
According to PAF documents, the crashed plane was a second hand C-130 Hercules recently purchased from the US military.
The PAF said in an official statement that the aircraft has a tail number "5125".
Military documents showed that the aircraft arrived in the country in January this year.
The US officially turned over the plane during a ceremony in February.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement that among the 92 personnel on board the C-130 Hercules transport, three were pilots and five crew members, with the rest being "Army personnel reporting for duty", reports Xinhua news agency.
Rescue and recovery operations are ongoing, Lorenzana added.
Armed Forces of the Philippine chief of staff General Cirilito Sobejana said the plane was transporting troops from Cagayan de Oro City on Mindanao island when it crashed at around 11.30 a.m. on Jolo island.
"The plane missed the runway and tried to regain power but failed," Sobejana said.
"Responders are at the site now," he said, expressing hope that more people on the plane will be saved from the wreckage.
The PAF said in an official statement that the C-130 aircraft took off from the airbase in Metro Manila to Cagayan de Oro City in northern Mindanao before heading to Jolo.
The crash on Sunday is the latest PAF tragedy this year.
In June one of the PAF's newly acquired S-70i Black Hawk utility helicopters, crashed north of Manila, killing six crew members.
Police said the clashes occurred in the early hours of the day in Mamasapano town.
Restituto Padilla, spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said army soldiers were later deployed to retrieve the body of the slain policemen. He said the military retrieved bodies of "nine out of the more than 30 (policemen) killed".
While the military helped in extricating police casualties, the policemen were conducting operations against lawless elements and carrying out a warrant of arrest, Padilla added.
The Department of Health said 10 more patients were found to have the B.1.617 strain of Covid-19, bringing to 12 the total number of cases of the more contagious Indian variant in the country, reports dpa news agency.
Nine of the patients were crew members of the cargo ship MV Athens Bridge, which docked in Manila last week to seek medical help for two crew who were in critical condition.
The 10th case was a seafarer who returned home from Belgium via the United Arabs Emirates (UAE) in April, the department added in a statement.
In a bid to contain the entry of the Indian variant, travellers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are not allowed to enter the Philippines until May 31, said Jaime Morente, the bureau's chief commissioner.
The entry ban was also extended to the countries of Oman and the UAE starting Saturday, he added.
The ban was first implemented on April 29 for travellers from India or those who had recently travelled to the South Asian country.
The extension of the ban was imposed after the B.1.617 variant was detected in two overseas Filipino workers who returned to the country in April.
The two patients - a 37-year-old male and a 58-year-old male - have already recovered and had no close contact with family or community members because they were quarantined on arrival, the epartment said.
Three passengers on the 58-year-old patient's flight have tested positive for Covid-19 but have already recovered, said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
None of the three have a variant of concern, she added.
The Philippines' total Covid-19 caseload stood at 1,138,187 on Saturday, after the health department reported 6,739 additional cases. The death toll was up by 93 to 19,051.
Despite thousands of cases reported daily, the government eased restrictions in the capital region of Metro Manila and four surrounding provinces in a bid to boost the country's economy, which has contracted for the fifth straight quarter since last year.
Seating capacities were increased for indoor dining at restaurants, outdoor tourist attractions can resume at 30 per cent capacity, and specialized domestic tours can take place again from Saturday.
The militants, numbering around 80 men, fired their guns in the air as they swooped down on the market in Datu Paglas town in Maguindanao province, 960 km south of Manila, dpa news agency quoted Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Baldomar, an army spokesman, as saying.
"They took food and threatened the civilians," Baldovar said.
"They were cornered when our forces were deployed in different areas and occupied (part of the market) because of the presence of our soldiers and policemen."
The militants, who were members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), fled six hours later when more soldiers arrived, he added.
As they withdrew, the rebels opened fire on a group of commuters along the highway, triggering a firefight with soldiers, Baldovar said.
No civilians or soldiers were reported killed or hurt in the violence, said Major General Juvymax Uy, an army division commander.
The rebels were fleeing military operations in the nearby towns of Shariff Aguak, Datu Saudi Ampatuan and Mamasapano over the past two weeks, he said.
The rebels left home-made bombs at the market, but no property was damaged, Uy said. He also denied social media reports that hostages were taken.
The BIFF is a splinter group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which signed a peace agreement with the government in 2014.
It has allied itself with the Islamic State and has been blamed for bombings, extortion and attacks on government troops in the province of Maguindanao.
The outbreak has killed 261 people this year alone and most of the victims were children aged under five, a 547 per cent increase that the previous year with 202 deaths, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) found.
"It is completely unacceptable that children are still dying from measles in 2019," CNN quoted Richard Gordon, chairman and CEO of the Philippines Red Cross, as saying on Friday.
The IFRC, with the Philippines' Department of Health, is now aiming to immunise all unvaccinated children across seven of the "hardest-hit regions" over the next 12 months.
"We are drawing on the skills and dedication of our two million Red Cross volunteers to go door-to-door and neighbourhood-to-neighbourhood," Gordon added.
Filipinos' confidence in vaccines fell dramatically after a 2014 scandal involving a new dengue fever vaccine, Dengvaxia.
Those with no history of dengue were at a greater risk of developing a more severe form of the disease after having the vaccination.
Rudy Constantino, Director of the Philippines Department of Health Disease Prevention and Control Bureau, told CNN that vaccine levels for measles, flu and other diseases dropped from 70 per cent in 2017 to 39 per cent in 2018 "because of the Dengvaxia scare".
Gundo Weiler, the World Health Organization representative to the Philippines, said the country was now suffering from a measles outbreak "every three to four years", pointing to large-scale outbreaks in 2011 and 2014.
The Philippines outbreak comes after global measles cases increased by 48.4 per cent between 2017 and 2018, according to UNICEF analysis.
Fifteen of the victims were from the Pampanga province, in the central part of the island and some 100 km north of Manila, according to latest figures provided by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
Lilia Pineda, governor of Pampanga, urged the central government to declare a state of emergency so that provincial authorities can provide assistance to survivors and help those whose homes have been destroyed or damaged, reports Efe news.
So far, nine people have been rescued from the four-storey mall in Porac that collapsed, while five people have been confirmed dead.
According to the NDRRMC, 81 people have been injured and 14 others remain missing.
Roads, bridges, railway lines and Clark International Airport all sustained severe damages.
The airport would remain closed until at least Wednesday morning, airport officials told local media.
A 17th-century church in Porac was also severely damaged after its bell tower fell.
Over 400 aftershocks have been registered following the quake, although most were of low intensity.
The earthquake was followed by another temblor of 6.3-magnitude in Eastern Samar province, located in the central part of the Philippines, on Tuesday, although no casualties have been reported.
The Philippines is located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region of high volcanic and seismic activities, that is shaken every year by some 7,000, mostly-moderate, quakes.
There were no reports of any casualties or structural damages, Efe news reported.
The US Geological Survey, which records worldwide seismic activity, said the earthquake occurred at 7.37 pm local time (5.07 pm IST) and its epicentre was located some 7.7 km (4.7 miles) from the Columbia locality.
The tremor was recorded at a depth of 14 km.
The Philippines is located along the Ring of Fire, a region of high volcanic and seismic activity that is shaken every year by some 7,000 quakes, most of them moderate.
Earthquakes with a magnitude higher than 5 are recorded sporadically in southern Mindanao, Batanes and the eastern region of Bicol.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) registered the earthquake on Wednesday at 7.37 pm local time (11.37 GMT) at magnitude-6.3 at a depth of 15 km.
The quake was followed by some 246 aftershocks, including two tremors above magnitude-5, according to Phivolcs.
In Tulunam, North Cotabato province, a seven-year-old girl died in a house collapse due to the earthquake, the epicenter of which was located 22 km from the city.
In the nearby city of Kidapawan, a man died of a heart attack during the tremor, which had a magnitude of 6.4 at a depth of 14.1 km according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Another two-year-old girl died in a house collapse, and two people died due to a landslide in the city of Magsaysay, Davao del Sur province, according to Phivolcs.
In Magsaysay, most homes were "totally destroyed," said city hall spokesman Anthony Allada.
In General Santos, also in Davao del Sur, a shopping center caught fire after the earthquake, although an official casualty count has not been disclosed.
The Philippines sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of great seismic and volcanic activity that is shaken by about 7,000 tremors a year, mostly moderate.
This year the country has suffered several earthquakes of over magnitude-5.
The deadliest occurred in the province of Pampanga last April, which left 16 dead, and another last July in Batanes on the northern tip of the country, leaving nine dead.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the inland tremor, which struck at 9.04 a.m. local time hit at a depth of 7 km, about 25 km southeast of Tulunan town, reports Xinhua news agency.
It was the second powerful earthquake that rocked the province in the central Mindanao region this month. Tulunan town was also the epicenter of the 6.3-magnitude earthquake that jolted the region on October 16.
The tremor, which was tectonic in origin, so far triggered dozens of large and small aftershocks, ranging from magnitude of 1.5 to 6.1, the institute said.
More than an hour after the initial quake, the institute recorded a 6.1-magnitude aftershock.
The powerful earthquake was strongly felt in the cities of Kidapawan, Davao, Koronadal, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Zamboanga and also the Sarangani and Bukidnon provinces.
Local officials said the strong earthquake sent panicking people out of their houses and buildings.
The officials said the tremor cut the power supply in many of the affected provinces, knocked down electric posts and shattered glass.
Patients of a hospital in Kidapawan were evacuated out of the building for safety, they added.
The tremor forced local government units to suspend classes and work in the region.
The Philippines, which lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, is surrounded by numerous active faults and trenches on both sides of the archipelago.
The country has frequent seismic activity, registering quakes every day, though most are not felt.
Phivolcs records an average of 20 earthquakes a day and 100 to 150 earthquakes are felt per year.
The storm, locally named Ursula, on Wednesday and Thursday made its way through the central region of the country with strong rains and gusts of wind up to 195 kph, reports Efe news.
The eye of the typhoon on Tuesday had moved outside of the archipelago, and as of Friday morning it was around 335 km west of Subic municipality in Zambales province, northwest of Manila, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said in its latest report.
It was moving 10 kph in a northwest direction, carrying lowered maximum sustained winds of 120 kph and gusts up to 150 kph.
Nineteen of the deaths and two people who suffered injuries occurred on the island of Panay, in the Western Visayas region, with one death on Cebu and eight on Leyte, Biliran and Samar islands.
The typhoon also caused heavy rains and floods on its way to the northwest of the archipelago.
On Tuesday, 34 boat passengers remained stranded, the NDRRMC said.
Phanfone destroyed boats and houses, caused floods, forced some 39,000 people to return to temporary shelters and left nearly 90 municipalities without electricity.
Damages and losses reported, mostly in the Visayas, were so far valued by the Department of Agriculture at $11.2 million, affecting over 43,000 farmers and fishers, while more than 4,6000 hectares of rice, corn and cassava were damaged.
The damages to fisheries, including fishponds, cages, seaweed, boats, rafts and boundary markers, account for just under $11.2 million.
The typhoon also damaged over 60,000 hectares of crops, such as rice, coconut and corn, in the Visayas, the costs of which are still being evaluated.
Between 15 and 20 typhoons make landfall in the Philippines every year during the rainy season, which begins around the months of May and June and usually ends between November and December.
In November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan - with gusts of winds up to 235 kph - killed more than 6,300 people, leaving over 1,000 missing.
(IANS)
The displaced people were taken to 45 evacuation centres authorized by the authorities in the most affected municipalities of San Nicolas, Balete, Talisay, Lipa (Batangas province) and Tagaytay (Cavite), according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
The regional civil defence spokesperson, Lexie Masiglat, told Efe news that the evacuation protocol was still ongoing, meaning that the number of evacuees was set to continue increasing over the next hours.
Of those evacuated, some 2,000 people are residents of the small volcanic island on Lake Taal that is starting to erupt.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) raised the threat level from 1 to 4 on a scale of 5 after an increase in activity within Taal's crater resulted in the billowing of a huge plume of smoke that reached heights of around 1 km.
An alert level of 4 implies that a dangerous eruption could be imminent and that there is a risk of a volcanic tsunami, as Taal - one of the smallest volcanoes in the world - is located in the middle of the lake.
The director of PHILVOCS, Renato Solidum, said in a Monday press conference that the spewing of lava does not mean that the volcano has necessarily entered the dangerous explosive eruption phase, though he did not reject that possibility, either.
In the last 24 hours, up to 75 earthquakes of volcanic origin have been recorded, 32 of them of noticeable intensity, including one of magnitude 3.8 during early Monday morning.
Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila and Clark International Airport (about 90 km north of the capital), partially resumed operations after having been shut down due to lack of visibility, leading to the cancellation of at least 109 international and 87 domestic flights that left thousands of passengers stranded.
Educational institutions and government offices in Manila and Calabarzon region, where the provinces of Batangas and Cavite - most affected by the eruption - are located, have been suspended.
The areas surrounding the volcano have been covered by a thick layer of ash and toxic smoke, prompting the health department to recommend against going outdoors or using masks and glasses if doing so.
The department also discouraged people from driving, as visibility is limited and the ground has become slippery because of ash.
Teams from the Philippine Red Cross have moved to the area to assist in evacuation efforts, while the Philippine Armed Forces have been put on alert and sent five trucks to move evacuees.
The volcano, which has erupted 33 times since 1572, killed some 1,300 people in an eruption in 1911 and 200 in 1965.
Taal volcano is an island within the lake of the same name, located within a caldera formed by a previous eruption and is part of a volcanic chain that extends through the western region of the island of Luzon.
(IANS)
The victim was a 44-year-old Chinese male from the city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, who came to the Philippines via Hong Kong on January 21, Xinhua news agency quoted Health Secretary Francisco Duque as saying.
Duque told the media here that the unidentified man, who died on Saturday, was the second confirmed case in the Philippines.
He said the man was the companion of the previously confirmed 38-year-old Chinese female. They were both isolated and were given supportive treatment at a hospital in Manila.
The victim was admitted for pneumonia on January 25 after experiencing fever, cough and sore throat, Duque said.
"Over the course of the patient's admission he developed severe pneumonia. In his last few days the patient was stable and showed signs of improvement. However, the condition of the patient deteriorated within the last 24 hours resulting in his demise," the Secretary added.
Duque said the Philippines is currently working with the Chinese Embassy in Manila "to ensure the dignified management of the remains according to national and international standards to contain the disease".
The Philippines said the man will be cremated.
As of Sunday, Chinese authorities put the toll at 304, with a total of 14,380 infected cases in the country alone.
(IANS)
As Election Commissioner, Lavasa grabbed headlines when he registered his dissent on the poll panel's clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then BJP President Amit Shah on alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Lavasa's resignation comes a month after the ADB appointed him as Vice-President for Private Sector Operations and Public-Private Partnership. He will succeed Diwakar Gupta, whose term will end on August 31.
The retired 1980 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre, Lavasa was next in the line to head the Election Commission and become India's Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) after the retirement of current CEC Sunil Arora in April 2021.
He has now become the second Election Commissioner to step down from the poll panel before the completion of term. Lavasa's appointment as the ADB Vice-President was announced in mid July.
Lavasa was appointed as Election Commissioner in January 2018. He has previously held a range of senior posts, including Finance Secretary, Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, and Civil Aviation Secretary.
(IANS)
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Western Mindanao Command chief Lieutenant General Corleto Vinluan said the victims also comprised five soldiers and four civilians, while 18 soldiers and 22 civilians were among the injured in the back-to-back blasts, reports Xinhua news agency.
Lieutenant Colonel Ronaldo Mateo, the spokesman for the army's 11th infantry division based in Sulu, said a bomb attached to a parked motorcycle exploded at 11.53 a.m. in front of a grocery store, while the second occurred at 1 p.m. near the cathedral in Jolo, the provincial capital.
He said troops were deployed in the area to secure the busy street, adding that soldiers and policemen were posted in the area daily to maintain peace and order.
He said the motorcycle was parked beside a military truck just outside the store before the bomb detonated.
"Two to three minutes after the motorcycle was parked, the improvised explosive device went off," he said.
"The second bomb is believed to have been carried out by a suicide bomber," Mateo added.
The military is verifying reports that the second explosion was carried out by a female bomber.
"Most probably these terrorist acts may have been perpetrated by the Abu Sayyaf group," Mateo said.
Jolo has long been a stronghold for the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group.
Twin blasts hit the Jolo cathedral on January 27, 2019, that killed 23 and injured 95.
(IANS)
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The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Goni, which intensified into a super typhoon at 2 a.m., was blowing maximum sustained winds of 225 km per hour and gustiness of up to 280 km per hour when it slammed into Bato town in Catanduanes at about 4.50 a.m., reports Xinhua news agency.
The bureau said that Goni was moving west-southwestward at 25 km per hour.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
However, thousands of people have been evacuated from risky areas in Bicol region amid fears of widespread flooding, possible landslides, and storm surge of up to three meters.
The Philippine Coast Guard ordered dozens of ports to close, leaving travellers stranded.
Authorities announced on Saturday night that the Manila international airport will be shut down for 24 hours from 10 a.m. on Sunday.
Super Typhoon Goni, the 18th cyclone to hit the Philippines this year, will pass through Quezon province and the rest of the region south of Manila, possibly weakening as it travels close to the capital, before heading into the South China Sea on Monday morning.
In Manila, officials ordered big roadside advertising boards taken down, fearing strong winds could knock it down and injure people.
Goni struck close to the regions hit by typhoon Molave last week week, which killed 22 people and destroyed infrastructure and crops.
Typhoons and tropical storms regularly hit the Philippines from June through December, claiming hundreds of lives and causing billions of dollars in damages.
Typhoon Haiyan, one of the country's worst, killed over 7,000 in the central Philippines in November 2013.
Located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines is among the most disaster-prone countries in the world, including active volcanoes, frequent earthquakes, and an average of 20 typhoons a year, causing floods and landslides.
(IANS)
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The Office of Civil Defence (OCD) in Bicol, one of the hardest-hit southernmost regions of Luzon, said that at least nine died in Albay province and one in Catanduanes island province where the super typhoon made landfall at around 4.50 a.m. on Sunday, reports Xinhua news agency.
Three other people in Guinobatan town in Albay province were reported missing, the OCD said.
According to the OCD, Goni has displaced over 390,000 people.
More than 345,000 of the displaced were staying in the government evacuation centres, it added.
Goni was a "super typhoon" when it first made landfall, packing maximum sustained winds of 225 km per hour near the centre and gustiness of up to 310 km per hour.
It triggered flash floods and mudslides in the Bicol region, and left a trail of destruction in 12 out of the 17 regions in the Philippines.
It was downgraded a few hours later as it swept westward across Luzon at the speed of 25 km per hour.
It is forecast to weaken further into a severe tropical storm as it is heading towards the South China Sea.
Goni, the 18th cyclone to hit the Philippines this year, struck close to the regions hit by typhoon Molave last week, which killed 22 people and destroyed infrastructure and crops.
Meanwhile, the state weather bureau said it is also tracking Tropical Depression Atsani, churning in the Pacific Ocean 1,365 km east of central Luzon.
Typhoons and tropical storms regularly hit the Philippines from June through December, claiming hundreds of lives and cause billions of dollars in damages.
Located in the "Pacific Ring of Fire," the Philippines is among the most disaster-prone countries in the world, including active volcanoes, frequent earthquakes, and an average of 20 typhoons a year causing floods and landslides.
(IANS)
Also Read | Super Typhoon ‘Goni’ Makes Landfall In Philippines