By Jocelyn Montemayor and Victor Reyes
THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) yesterday said that 1,010 families or 3,661 persons have been displaced in Batangas, with majority of them still staying in evacuation centers in the wake of the Taal volcano eruption over the weekend.
DSWD Director and spokesman Irene Dumalo said more than 900 families or more than 3,000 people are currently staying in evacuation centers and have been provided with family food packs.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council assured residents displaced by the eruption that there is enough relief supply for them even if they stay in evacuation centers for an extended period.
“Our countrymen there are okay because the distribution of family food packs from the LGUs (local government units) are continuing,” said NDRRMC spokesman Mark Timbal during the Laging Handa public briefing.
Timbal said foods packs from the provincial government and from regional and national councils have been prepositioned and are ready for distribution in case they are needed.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology needs at least two weeks to observe and assess if Taal’s alert status can be lowered from the current No. 3 to No. 2. Phivolcs raised Alert Level 3 in Taal last Saturday after a series of phreatomagmatic eruptions that prompted the evacuation of resident in five high-risk barangays in Laurel and Agoncillo towns.
In a bulletin issued yesterday morning, Phivolcs said it recorded three phreatomagmatic bursts between 9:30 a.m. to 9:46 a.m. last Monday.
“These events produced 400-meter to 800-meter plumes that drifted southwest,” Phivolcs said, adding it also recorded eight volcanic earthquakes from Monday morning to Tuesday morning.
Data from the Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) as of March 28 showed that 956 families or 3,460 persons are staying in 16 evacuation centers while 54 families or 201 persons are taking temporary shelter with relatives or friends.
DSWD has a standby fund of more than P140.7 million, including P68.63 million of Quick Response Fund (QRF) at the DSWD-Central Office and P5 million available fund at the DSWD-Calabarzon office that can be tapped anytime to assist those affected by the eruption.
The agency also has 488,000 family food packs on standby, including the 97,362 FFPs at the National Resource Operations Centers (NROCs) in Pasay and Cebu and 9,635 FFPs available at DSWD-Calabarzon, as well P690.98 million worth of other food and non-food items (FNIs) at NROC.
The DSWD has advised communities around the Taal Lake shores to remain vigilant, take precautionary measures against possible airborne ash should volcanic unrest intensify.
“Phivolcs said they are closely monitoring Taal for two weeks so we’ve prepared supplies enough for more than two weeks, in case there will be extended stay (of the evacuees in evacuation centers),” Timbal said.
“We are certain that assistance from the LGUs, regional (offices) and national government, are in place for them,” Timbal added.
Batangas provincial disaster risk reduction management office chief Joselito Castro said more than 6,000 residents from five barangays and nearby areas have been displaced.
Castro said operations were still ongoing yesterday to move the remaining residents of five high-risk barangays to safer grounds. “Our objective is for us to increase the percentage (number of evacuees) to minimize the risk,” he said.
Timbal said authorities continue to go around the five barangays “to ensure all residents there are brought out.”
He surmised that some residents continue to stay in high-risk areas to watch their property.
