Taal Volcano in Batangas, Philippines began to erupt on January 12, 2020, when a phreatomagmatic eruption from its main crater spewed ashes over Calabarzon, Metro Manila, and some parts of Central Luzon and Ilocos Region, resulting in the suspension of school classes, work schedules, and flights in the area, as well as temporarily drying up Taal Main Crater Lake and destroying Vulcan Point, an Island surrounded by the lake.

[4][5] The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) subsequently issued an Alert Level 4, indicating "that a hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours to days.

[6] According to PHIVOLCS director Dr. Renato Solidum, seismic swarms began at 11 am and were later followed by a phreatic eruption from Volcano Island Main Crater at around 1 pm Philippine Standard Time (UTC+8).

[19] The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) presented a study that the air quality index of cities in Metro Manila had worsened; Mandaluyong had the highest amount of inhalable coarse particulate matter (PM10) with 118, followed by Las Piñas (108) and Taguig (104), all of which were "considered unhealthy for sensitive groups" with respiratory issues.

[20] By January 15, PHIVOLCS reported that the slightly acidic lake which filled the main crater prior to the eruption had dried up, which was after confirmed by European satellite observations.

[33] By July 7, the volcano had a short-lived phreatomagmatic eruption occurred in the Main Crater at 5:18 a.m. local time and generated a grayish plume that rose 300 meters high before drifting southeast.

[57] Demand for N95 masks increased rapidly during the eruption and later, the COVID-19 pandemic (after the Philippines' first case was reported on January 30), with some stores inflating its prices to ₱200 ($3.95) a piece from the standard ₱25–40 ($0.49–0.79).

[60] After DTI inspection, Trade Undersecretary Ruth Castelo commented that some medical establishments were selling 'fake' N95 masks, some of which are not medical-grade, and could still let in large foreign air particulates.

[62] Manila Mayor Isko Moreno threatened to revoke the permits of medical supply chains in the city involved in the price hike of face masks.

[68][69] The Department of Agriculture (DA) reported that the damage to crops caused by the eruption are estimated to be ₱3.06 billion ($60.1 million), covering 2,722 hectares (27.22 km2) that includes 1,967 animals.

Through a combination of ash, sand, cement and discarded plastic waste, around 5,000 bricks were manufactured a day and used to rebuild houses and other buildings that were damaged by the eruption.

Biñan Mayor Arman Dimaguila formally instructed residents in the city to help gather ashes and deliver it to the local brickworks.

[76] PhilPost announced on January 16 that it would suspend delivery and acceptance of mail in Batangas towns near the Taal Volcano which falls within the "danger zone".

[78] They also advised the public to refrain from purchasing and consuming freshwater fish from the Taal Lake, such as tilapia and Sardinella tawilis, as these may have been affected by the sulfur from the eruption.

The GMR–Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC), the operator of the MCIA, requested that all diverted flights should be accommodated on a "first-come, first-serve basis" depending on the availability of aircraft parking bays.

[89] On January 13, 2020, the provincial board of Batangas declared the province under a state of calamity following the eruption, ordering the evacuation of residents within a radius of 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from the volcano.

[99][100][101][102] Interior Secretary Eduardo Año directed the governors, mayors and local chief executives of Central Luzon, the National Capital Region and Southern Tagalog to convene their disaster risk reduction and management councils and instantly activate their incident management teams, network operations centers and other disaster response teams.

[104][105] President Rodrigo Duterte, who was in Davao City during the eruption, ordered Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea to suspend classes and government work in Calabarzon, Central Luzon and Metro Manila.

[107] He approved the recommendation of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to prohibit individuals from visiting or inhabiting the Taal island, declaring it a "no man's land".

[108] While addressing evacuees in Batangas City, President Duterte also pushed for the construction of additional evacuation centers to be built "simultaneously" in disaster-prone areas during his administration.

[109] Concurrently, Vice President Leni Robredo visited the municipalities of Santa Teresita and San Jose, and the city of Santo Tomas in Batangas, where she helped distribute food packs and face masks to the affected residents.

Joel Villanueva urged the Department of Labor and Employment to issue an advisory that would guide private firms in the affected areas on deciding whether their operations should continue, considering the health and safety of its employees.

[113] Francis Pangilinan urged the Department of Agriculture to provide long-term funding assistance and initiate alternative livelihood programs for the affected farmers and farmworkers.

[117] On January 16, Cavite-based Senator Bong Revilla participated in the distribution of relief goods in several towns of his home province, which had been placed under a state of calamity.

Barzaga stated that PHIVOLCS had issued an Alert Level 1 on Taal Volcano (indicating a "slight increase in volcanic activity") since March 2019, but he claimed that it failed to properly disseminate information to the public.

House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez (Leyte 1st district), however, defended PHIVOLCS by implying the difficulty in predicting the occurrence of volcanic eruptions.

[127] In addition, city governments across Metro Manila have also contributed aid, ranging from in-kind donations, toiletries, food packs, N95 masks and others.

[132] The fanbase of pop singer Sarah Geronimo organized a charity public event at Luneta Park in Manila on January 18 where attendees participated in a flash mob of the viral "Tala" dance challenge.

[134] The University of the Philippines will open its own map data of the volcano from 2014 to 2017 through its UP Training Center for Applied Geodesy and Photogrammetry to the public to speed up the rehabilitation of the affected areas.

[136] As the result of 2021 eruption, over 4,000 residents from three barangays near the volcano in the province's municipality of Laurel voluntarily left their homes that night and were subsequently sheltered, 16 kilometers away from the area.