By Noreen Jazul
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has provided a center where Taal eruption-affected residents can leave their animals to be temporarily taken care of.
Pigs with faces covered in volcanic ash look out from their pen as they are left by their owners at a village beside Taal volcano where residents have evacuated to safer ground in Agoncillo, Batangas province, southern Philippines on Saturday Jan. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila / MANILA BULLETIN)
In an interview on DZMM on Monday, DA Secretary William Dar said residents can "deposit" their animals at the recently launched Taal Livestock Care Emergency Operations Center in Lipa City, Batangas.
"Pwedeng i-deposito po diyan sa Lipa. Lahat po...pwede. Kami na mag-aalaga muna," Dar said. (They can deposit their animals in Lipa. Any kind of animal is allowed. We will temporarily take care of them.)
"In to this emergency operation center for livestock, we are now finalizing...within two to three days, ‘yung pag dineposito nila at kailangan nila ng cash, bibigyan namin ng cash, mga 50 percent of the value of the animal."
(In to this emergency operation center for livestock, we are now finalizing...within two to three days, that when owners deposit their animals and they need cash, we will give them cash amounting to 50 percent of the animal’s value.)
Dar said the animals' owners can retrieve their animals after the situation in Taal has returned to normal.