A gentle eruption of the Philippines’ most active volcano has forced nearly 18,000 people to flee to emergency shelters and may create a protracted crisis that could last for months. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. flew to northeastern Albay province on Wednesday to reassure villagers who were forced to evacuate from mostly poor farming communities within a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) radius of the Mayon volcano’s crater. The lava that started flowing from the volcano on Sunday night is the latest natural calamity to test the administration of Marcos, About 20 typhoons and storms last the Philipinees each year. The Southeast Asian nation also has 24 active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.
