By Hannah Torregoza
Senate President Vicente Sotto III announced on Sunday that work in the upper chamber is suspended on Monday.
Senate of the Philippines building (Senate of the Philippines official Facebook)
The Senate leader made the announcement after the Taal Volcano spewed ash Sunday afternoon.
Sotto said only a "skeletal force" of the Office of the Senate Sergeant at Arms (OSAA) will be at the Senate.
Asked how long the suspension of work at the Senate would be, Sotto said it will depend or "as soon as the ashfall will stop."
Meanwhile, Sen. Grace Poe, chair of the Senate committee on public services, announced that the hearing on the motorcycle taxis will be moved from Tuesday, Jan. 14 to Jan. 16, Thursday.
Poe said this would be in "the interest of public safety."
For her part, Sen. Imee Marcos urged local government units (LGUs) to ensure the safety of their constituents by putting in place emergency protocols, particularly the evacuation of residents affected by the ashfall.
"The ashfall has reached Metro Manila, avoid it because it is dangerous to your health," Marcos said.