By Mario Casayuran
Opposition Senator Francis N. Pangilinan said on Saturday the national government should issue more frequent Taal Volcano updates beyond the twice-a-day situationer that the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) releases.
Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan (Senate of the Philippines / MANILA BULLETIN)
“Considering that Phivolcs raised Alert Level 2 to 4 in just two hours last Sunday (Jan. 12), we issue an urgent appeal to government to issue bulletins every one or two hours to prevent panic and keep the public informed and more aware,” he said.
Pangilinan was in Alfonso, Cavite to distribute relief goods and portable toilets from his office and the University of the Philippines (UP) community to affected residents.
“An informed people is an empowered people. Mas makakagalaw nang mas maayos ang ating mga kababayan kung alam nila ang nangyayari. Sa sama-sama nating pagkilos rin natin masisiguro na wala o mababang casualty rate sa pagsabog ng Taal Volcano at sa anumang disaster na kinakaharap natin,” he added. (Our countrymen could move freely if they know what's happening. Through our united efforts we can be sure of a no- to low-casualty rate in the event of a Taal Volcano eruption and any disaster we face.)
Phivolcs said nearly 700 volcanic earthquakes have been recorded since Taal emitted plumes of steam and ash on Jan.12, indicating continuous magmatic intrusion beneath the volcano.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) initially reported that about half a million people are within the radius of the 14-kilometer danger zone.