MANILA, Philippines—There will be no letting up on the enforcement of the forcible evacuation of residents living within the six- to eight-kilometer permanent danger zone surrounding the Mayon Volcano despite it being Christmas day, a spokesman from the military said Friday.

In a text message, Captain Razaleigh Bansawan, spokesman for the Joint Task Force Mayon (JTF Mayon) and the Army 901st Brigade, said the forcible evacuation will continue until every last resident living in risk areas have been taken to safe ground.

Bansawan said that a platoon of soldiers and vehicles will again be dispatched Friday to forcibly evacuate remaining residents who refuse to leave their homes within the risk areas in Legazpi City, Ligao City, Guinobatan, and Camalig.

The forcible removal of residents, being enforced by JTF Mayon’s Colonel Marlou Salazar head of the Transportation and Evacuation Group, began Thursday and is in accordance with the orders of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that the permanent danger zones be off-limits to people.

A total of 1,344 persons were successfully evacuated from the villages of Mabinit and Matanag in Legazpi City, Baligang in Ligao City and high risk areas in Guinobatan, Camalig, and Daraga Thursday, Bansawan said.

Once risk areas have been cleared of residents, all roads will be sealed off and a no-human activity policy will be strictly enforced, Bansawan said.

At least 10,030 families (47,558 people) spent their Christmas in 28 evacuation centers in the province of Albay as Mayon Volcano continues to act up, the Office of Civil Defense Region 5 (OCD 5) said Friday.

Alert level 4 remains raised over Albay province which means a hazardous eruption is possible within days, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in its latest Mayon activity bulletin issued Friday morning.

Over the last 24 hours, a total of 871 volcanic earthquakes and at least 96 ash explosions were monitored; the explosions produced light to brown grayish ash columns that reached heights of up to two kilometers above the crater, Phivolcs said.