Duterte to visit Albay today; Mayon still emitting magma
Published Jan 29, 2018 12:07 am
By Genalyn D. Kabiling, Ellalyn B. De Vera, Aaron B. Recuenco, and Ruel Saldico
President Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to visit Albay today to check on the plight of the families affected by the eruption of Mayon Volcano which, as of yesterday, continued to emit magma.
The President is expected to get a briefing from volcanologists and local disaster relief officials about the situation during his visit to Legazpi City.
Residents watch as Mayon volcano spews ash anew during its eruption for the second straight day Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018 as seen from Legazpi city, Albay province. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez/Manila Bulletin)
Among the officials expected to brief the President are Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) director Renato Solidum Jr., Albay Governor Al Francis Bichara, and Office of Civil Defense (OCD) regional director Claudio Yucot.
The President first revealed plans to visit Albay when he returned to the country from his visit to India last Saturday.
Duterte, in a press conference in Davao City, said he wanted to rest a day or two to nurse his migraine and then travel to Albay. He admitted though that his plane might have difficulty landing in Legazpi City due to the giant ash column spewed by the volcano.
“If it’s safe to go there and even if it’s not, you give me the space to land. If I am cleared, I will go there in about one or two days,” he said.
Lava fountaining
Mayon Volcano saw two episodes of sporadic lava fountaining within seven hours from Saturday evening to early Sunday, leading to lava flows up to three kilometers down its gullies.
The Phivolcs said Mayon had lava fountaining twice between 6:23 p.m. Saturday to 1:40 a.m. Sunday, lasting 23 and 55 minutes, respectively.
These were followed by two quiet eruptions that occurred at 5:36 a.m. and at 10:33 a.m.
The events fed lava flows on the Miisi and Bonga gullies, sprayed near-vent lava spatter, and produced rockfall.
Phivolcs observed that the heavy rainfall caused by the tail-end of cold front throughout Saturday generated sediment-laden streamflows that drained into the river channels.
A total of four volcanic earthquakes, seven tremor events, two of which correspond to the lava fountaining events, 23 rockfall events were recorded by Mayon’s seismic monitoring network.
Rockfall events were generated by the collapsing lava front and margins of the advancing lava flow on the Bonga and Miisi gullies.
Phivolcs said the Miisi and Bonga lava flows have remained three and 1.8 kilometers long, respectively, from the summit crater.
Not calming down
Despite the sustained ejection of pyroclastic materials, Mayon is not showing signs of calming down.
Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum said that the edifice of the Mayon is still inflated based on the latest monitoring using their instruments.
“There is still a strong pressure inside so the possibility of more hazardous eruptions or big eruption is still there,” said Solidum.
Zero casualty
“Task Force Sagip,” which has been mobilized by the Philippine Army in Legazpi City, assured that a zero casualty will be achieved amid the violent emissions of Mayon.
Maj. Gen. Jesus A. Manangquil Jr., commander of 9th Infantry Spear Division of the Philippine Army, said the cooperation of residents is critical to achieving the goal of keeping everyone protected and safe from the volcanic eruptions.
Manangquil said, he is willing to send additional troops to augment the “Task Force Sagip” to ensure that ”zero casualty” will be attained that the provincial government of Albay achieved in the previous years.
Yesterday, he led the inspection on the completeness and readiness of personnel and equipment for emergency response operations at the Headquarters of the Naval Forces for Southern Luzon (NavForSouth) Command in Barangay Rawis in Legazpi. A blessing of the equipment and personnel was also conducted.
Dr. Cedric Daep, head of the Albay Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (APSEMO), said that as of the moment, zero casualty for Albay has been achieved despite several hazardous eruptions and strong lahar flow over the weekend that destroyed two access roads here.
Daep attributed the safety of residents to the early response and past experiences both for Mayon eruptions and strong typhoons.
“We are always in constant coordination with proper government agencies like PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration) and Phivolcs for us to act appropriately,” said Daep.
Intimate time
Meanwhile, with the number of displaced residents swelling and volcanologists still uncertain when Mayon would calm down, authorities here are now crafting interventions to address one other concern at congested evacuation centers — conjugal needs.
A total of 7,265 families have been staying in 26 safe shelters since the first major evacuation was made on January 15 when Mayon first exhibited signs of more hazardous eruptions.
For lack of privacy, some couples have also expressed restlessness over their needs for intimacy, said Daep.
“We are aware of this special need of the couple and based on our past experiences, we really must do something about it,” said Daep.
What they want to avoid, according to Daep, were the several incidents in the past of sudden change of behavior of the couple – men in particular – that sometimes turned into violent marital spat.
“We need to introduce interventions in order to prevent these things from happening,” said Daep.
Daep said that there was a time that they implemented a transport service for couples to be conveyed back to their homes inside the danger zones for a while.
Couples who are interested would be listed and fetched by the buses. They would be allowed to stay for one hour before they are transported back to their respective evacuation centers.
In one of the recent mass evacuations here, Daep said the provincial government made arrangements with budget hotel managements to open their rooms to couples from evacuation centers.
But Daep said that had to be stopped after they received disturbing complaints from wives that their husbands were checking-in other women.
A new option floated by psychosocial experts is to bring entertainment system like free movies or other activities in the evacuation centers to keep the children busy and allow couples some time to be intimate, said Daep.
The only question now is, where will couples find their privacy.
Flights cancelled
Several flights to and out of Legazpi City have been cancelled until January 29.
Cebu Pacific and Cebgo announced the cancellation of of flights 5J321 Manila-Legazpi, 5J322 Legazpi-Manila, DG 6204 Cebu-Legazpi, DG6205 Legazpi-Cebu due to the Mayon situation.
Cebu Pacific said it is tracking seismic activity and movement of the ash cloud and that passengers by the flight cancellations may take any of the following options: 1) rebook within 30 days which is free of charge; 2) get a full refund; or 3) place the cost of the ticket in a Travel Fund for future use.
The Philippine Airlines is also not yet reinstating PAL Manila-Legazpi- Manila and Cebu-Legazpi-Cebu flights as the they carry out a thorough assessment of the situation.
PRC warning
The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) is warning affected communities regarding the health hazard that can be caused by volcanic ash to humans as the eruption of Mayon continues.
PRC Health Services said ash exposure must be avoided as it may trigger a number of health problems, especially respiratory illnesses such as nose and throat irritation, coughing, bronchitis-like illness, and discomfort while breathing. Eye irritation and minor skin problems are also among the bad effects of exposure to volcanic ash.
“The Philippine Red Cross already activated its health volunteers to disseminate awareness campaign on the health hazards that may ensue to individuals living around an erupting volcano,” Richard Gordon, PRC chairman, said. (With reports from Dhel Nazario and Jel Santos)
Residents watch as Mayon volcano spews ash anew during its eruption for the second straight day Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018 as seen from Legazpi city, Albay province. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez/Manila Bulletin)
Among the officials expected to brief the President are Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) director Renato Solidum Jr., Albay Governor Al Francis Bichara, and Office of Civil Defense (OCD) regional director Claudio Yucot.
The President first revealed plans to visit Albay when he returned to the country from his visit to India last Saturday.
Duterte, in a press conference in Davao City, said he wanted to rest a day or two to nurse his migraine and then travel to Albay. He admitted though that his plane might have difficulty landing in Legazpi City due to the giant ash column spewed by the volcano.
“If it’s safe to go there and even if it’s not, you give me the space to land. If I am cleared, I will go there in about one or two days,” he said.
Lava fountaining
Mayon Volcano saw two episodes of sporadic lava fountaining within seven hours from Saturday evening to early Sunday, leading to lava flows up to three kilometers down its gullies.
The Phivolcs said Mayon had lava fountaining twice between 6:23 p.m. Saturday to 1:40 a.m. Sunday, lasting 23 and 55 minutes, respectively.
These were followed by two quiet eruptions that occurred at 5:36 a.m. and at 10:33 a.m.
The events fed lava flows on the Miisi and Bonga gullies, sprayed near-vent lava spatter, and produced rockfall.
Phivolcs observed that the heavy rainfall caused by the tail-end of cold front throughout Saturday generated sediment-laden streamflows that drained into the river channels.
A total of four volcanic earthquakes, seven tremor events, two of which correspond to the lava fountaining events, 23 rockfall events were recorded by Mayon’s seismic monitoring network.
Rockfall events were generated by the collapsing lava front and margins of the advancing lava flow on the Bonga and Miisi gullies.
Phivolcs said the Miisi and Bonga lava flows have remained three and 1.8 kilometers long, respectively, from the summit crater.
Not calming down
Despite the sustained ejection of pyroclastic materials, Mayon is not showing signs of calming down.
Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum said that the edifice of the Mayon is still inflated based on the latest monitoring using their instruments.
“There is still a strong pressure inside so the possibility of more hazardous eruptions or big eruption is still there,” said Solidum.
Zero casualty
“Task Force Sagip,” which has been mobilized by the Philippine Army in Legazpi City, assured that a zero casualty will be achieved amid the violent emissions of Mayon.
Maj. Gen. Jesus A. Manangquil Jr., commander of 9th Infantry Spear Division of the Philippine Army, said the cooperation of residents is critical to achieving the goal of keeping everyone protected and safe from the volcanic eruptions.
Manangquil said, he is willing to send additional troops to augment the “Task Force Sagip” to ensure that ”zero casualty” will be attained that the provincial government of Albay achieved in the previous years.
Yesterday, he led the inspection on the completeness and readiness of personnel and equipment for emergency response operations at the Headquarters of the Naval Forces for Southern Luzon (NavForSouth) Command in Barangay Rawis in Legazpi. A blessing of the equipment and personnel was also conducted.
Dr. Cedric Daep, head of the Albay Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (APSEMO), said that as of the moment, zero casualty for Albay has been achieved despite several hazardous eruptions and strong lahar flow over the weekend that destroyed two access roads here.
Daep attributed the safety of residents to the early response and past experiences both for Mayon eruptions and strong typhoons.
“We are always in constant coordination with proper government agencies like PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration) and Phivolcs for us to act appropriately,” said Daep.
Intimate time
Meanwhile, with the number of displaced residents swelling and volcanologists still uncertain when Mayon would calm down, authorities here are now crafting interventions to address one other concern at congested evacuation centers — conjugal needs.
A total of 7,265 families have been staying in 26 safe shelters since the first major evacuation was made on January 15 when Mayon first exhibited signs of more hazardous eruptions.
For lack of privacy, some couples have also expressed restlessness over their needs for intimacy, said Daep.
“We are aware of this special need of the couple and based on our past experiences, we really must do something about it,” said Daep.
What they want to avoid, according to Daep, were the several incidents in the past of sudden change of behavior of the couple – men in particular – that sometimes turned into violent marital spat.
“We need to introduce interventions in order to prevent these things from happening,” said Daep.
Daep said that there was a time that they implemented a transport service for couples to be conveyed back to their homes inside the danger zones for a while.
Couples who are interested would be listed and fetched by the buses. They would be allowed to stay for one hour before they are transported back to their respective evacuation centers.
In one of the recent mass evacuations here, Daep said the provincial government made arrangements with budget hotel managements to open their rooms to couples from evacuation centers.
But Daep said that had to be stopped after they received disturbing complaints from wives that their husbands were checking-in other women.
A new option floated by psychosocial experts is to bring entertainment system like free movies or other activities in the evacuation centers to keep the children busy and allow couples some time to be intimate, said Daep.
The only question now is, where will couples find their privacy.
Flights cancelled
Several flights to and out of Legazpi City have been cancelled until January 29.
Cebu Pacific and Cebgo announced the cancellation of of flights 5J321 Manila-Legazpi, 5J322 Legazpi-Manila, DG 6204 Cebu-Legazpi, DG6205 Legazpi-Cebu due to the Mayon situation.
Cebu Pacific said it is tracking seismic activity and movement of the ash cloud and that passengers by the flight cancellations may take any of the following options: 1) rebook within 30 days which is free of charge; 2) get a full refund; or 3) place the cost of the ticket in a Travel Fund for future use.
The Philippine Airlines is also not yet reinstating PAL Manila-Legazpi- Manila and Cebu-Legazpi-Cebu flights as the they carry out a thorough assessment of the situation.
PRC warning
The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) is warning affected communities regarding the health hazard that can be caused by volcanic ash to humans as the eruption of Mayon continues.
PRC Health Services said ash exposure must be avoided as it may trigger a number of health problems, especially respiratory illnesses such as nose and throat irritation, coughing, bronchitis-like illness, and discomfort while breathing. Eye irritation and minor skin problems are also among the bad effects of exposure to volcanic ash.
“The Philippine Red Cross already activated its health volunteers to disseminate awareness campaign on the health hazards that may ensue to individuals living around an erupting volcano,” Richard Gordon, PRC chairman, said. (With reports from Dhel Nazario and Jel Santos)