SANTO TOMAS (Batangas) - Ms Estela Mendoza was looking forward to a full harvest of corn by month's end when a volcano, which for most of her life had been a majestic, but silent, presence, roared back to life.

In a matter of hours, she saw her husband's entire crop blanketed with a thick layer of ash and mud as the volcano, Taal, spewed massive columns of earth and debris on a clear Sunday (Jan 12) afternoon.