Volcanic ash rained down on two villages in Sorsogan province in Northern Philippines as Mount Bulusan continue to grumble, local media Philippine Daily Inquirer reported Friday.

Ashfall was reported in the Irosin and Juban in Sorsogon after Mt. Bulusan belched out voluminous ash plume at 06:59 a.m. local time on Friday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said in its latest bulletin.

The explosion produced an ash and steam cloud which rose to about 700 meters above the volcano's summit and drifted southwest. Philvolcs' volcanologists are currently at the site conducting field investigation on the areas affected by ashfall, the bulletin said.

The seismic network also detected four volcanic earthquakes during the past 24 hours. Prior to the ash explosion, weak steaming was observed from the crater during times of good visibility, Phivolcs said.

The volcano began spewing ash and steam on early Saturday which Philvocs said are typical of Mt. Bulusan's activity during its restive period.

Alert Level 1 has been hoisted over the area and Phivolcs expect more ash explosions to occur in view of the volcano's recent reactivation.

Areas within four km of the summit has been designated a Permanent Danger Zone which means that villages located within the area may be affected by sudden steam explosions.

Phivolcs has advised the people residing near valleys and streams to be vigilant against sediment-laden stream flows in the event of heavy and continuous rainfall. Mt. Bulusan, with a height of 1565 meters, is the highest peak in Sorsogon. It has recorded at least 17 major eruptions since 1886.