TAGAYTAY CITY, Philippines: Hundreds of people who have fled their homes near a restive volcano on the Philippines' main island Luzon attended a Catholic mass at a temporary shelter on Sunday, praying for safety amid fears of a violent eruption. Some residents danced and brought wooden replicas of the Infant Jesus, locally known as "Santo Nino", to celebrate the feast of the Holy Child.

Many worshippers in Asia's biggest Catholic nation believe the statues can grant miracles. "We prayed that we can rise up, put a stop to this calamity to allow us to return back to our homes," said 44-year-old evacuee Annie Villanueva. "A lot of families like us want to be together in our own homes and stand up." More than 70,000 people have been evacuated since the Taal, one of the Philippines' most active volcanoes, began spewing clouds of ash, steam and gas on Jan. 12.

The volcano alert level remains at 4, just a notch below the highest, which means that "hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours to days". "We feel afraid, especially for our families because we don't know our fate, if we will be safe," Villanueva said.

Nearly 800 volcanic earthquakes were recorded overnight within the danger zone, indicating "intense seismic activity (that) likely signifies continuous magmatic intrusion beneath", the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said in an advisory. High-risk areas within a 14-km (9-mile) radius of the volcano's main crater should remain strictly off-limits to people, Maria Antonia Bornas, chief science research specialist at Phivolcs, told reporters. "We continue to record earthquakes, and that is why we can't relax," she said.

Shrouded in ash
A Philippine city shrouded in ash from the nearby Taal volcano has turned adversity into an opportunity to help neighboring towns hit by the natural disaster. The mayor of Binan has ordered residents to collect ash blanketing homes, cars and roads and put it in sacks to be sent to a state-owned factory and turned into bricks.

"When the ash came, we thought we'd exchange the white sand which we mix with plastics to be converted into bricks with ash. We did it and they came out sturdy," Binan Mayor Walfredo Dimaguila, 48, told Reuters. The facility can produce up to 5,000 bricks a day which will be used to rebuild schools damaged since Taal, one of the Philippines' most active and deadliest volcanoes, began spewing massive clouds of ash, steam and gas on Sunday.

"What we plan is to turn them into hollow blocks and bricks and sell them to interested companies," Dimaguila said, adding that the proceeds would be donated to people directly affected by the restive volcano. Several buildings in lakeside towns near Taal volcano, located about 70 km (45 miles) south of the capital, were destroyed as heavy ash weighed makeshift roofs and toppled trees, and tens of thousands of people have fled their homes.

Some of the evacuees are unsure if they have home and livelihood to return to. "When Batangas is in recovery, we will bring the bricks there for building schools, community halls and livelihood centers so what we can give back what Taal has given us," Dimaguila said, referring to the province where Taal is located. Binan is in the neighboring province of Laguna. "The misfortune of our neighbors in Batangas is there. Let's transform this into opportunity." - Reuters