Manila Bulletin
Philippines
Many Taal eruption victims opt to remain in evacuation centers despite lowered alert level
Philippines
Many Taal eruption victims opt to remain in evacuation centers despite lowered alert level
Many Taal eruption victims opt to remain in evacuation centers despite lowered alert level
Published Jan 26, 2020 12:00 am
By Aaron RecuencoÂ
BATANGAS CITY – When news about the lowering of alert level of the Taal Volcano was announced, 66-year old Gloria Marcellana does not know whether to immediately go back to their house in Taal town or remain in the evacuation center here at the Provincial Sports Complex.
Residents in Talisay stay at the evacuation center in Santo Tomas Gym following the Taal Volcano's eruption. (Ali Vicoy / File Photo / MANILA BULLETIN)
She said she missed her house already, the house which she and her husband consider as their first investment as a married couple more than 25 years ago.
The desire to go back was further triggered when a handful of her fellow evacuees here started to pack up and return to their homes after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) lowered the alert level at Taal to 3.
But a few meters away, she heard her nephew Noriel arguing with some of their neighbors about how unsafe it was to go back.
"I really want to go back but he (Noriel) has a good point. That's why we decided to remain until we are assured that it is already safe," Marcellana told the Manila Bulletin.
Marcellana's decision was shared by almost all of the evacuees here amid confirmation of fissures and damaged houses of their neighbors as a result of the volcanic earthquakes that jolted their town in the past days.
Of the 356 families staying here at the Batangas Provincial Sports Complex, only nine have left as of 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Most of the evacuees here are from Taal town, and most of them decided to send the heads of their families first to conduct ocular inspection on their house and their barangays.
While evacuees were given the option to go back, Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas said that they have to face some serious problems if they do so.
First, Mandanas said that residents have to deal with water and electricity supply problems which are yet to be fully restored.
Second, Mandanas said that it was still unsafe for families with children and elderly since they could be affected by the health hazards of posed by ash.
And third, some of the houses and structures in the evacuees' respective communities may not be structurally safe as a result of the quakes.
These were the reasons, according to Mandanas, why he wanted the evacuees to stay at the evacuation centers until everything could be cleaned up and fixed.
"Our evacuation are still open for them, the distribution of food packs and other basic needs will continue for those who want to remain," said Mandanas.
Window hours
Some of the mayors share the argument of Mandanas.
Talisay Mayor Gerry Natanauan, for instance, decided that he would allow residents to go back to their homes with the condition that they would go back to the evacuation centers at night.
Some of the mayors, for instance, also opted to implement window hours for the residents to return-- to clean and fix their houses and feed their animals.
"The possibility of eruption is still there so while we allowed them to return, it would be better for them to remain," said Mandanas.
Other problems
Aside from safety issue, evacuees could be facing problems on the lack of food once they go back home.
While some of the evacuees have jobs and relatives to depend on, most of them have lost their means of livelihood.
"If they stay at the evacuation centers, we will continue to provide them with food and other basic needs," said Mandanas.
Magiting Centers
In order to address the problem, Mandanas said they will be setting up food centers in every barangays of the affected areas.
Called Magiting Centers, they will serve as assistance hubs for returning evacuees to get food, drinking water, medicine and other basic needs.
But the Magiting Centers are yet to be established and are expected to become fully operational once an order from the Provincial Government for the evacuees to return is issued.
On Sunday, what was given was just an option for residents to return.
There are more than 400,000 evacuees staying in more than 600 evacuation centers in Batangas and nearby provinces.
The provincial government has yet to come up with figure as to how many of the evacuees have returned to their homes.
READ MORE:Â Taal Volcano alert status lowered to level 3
Residents in Talisay stay at the evacuation center in Santo Tomas Gym following the Taal Volcano's eruption. (Ali Vicoy / File Photo / MANILA BULLETIN)
She said she missed her house already, the house which she and her husband consider as their first investment as a married couple more than 25 years ago.
The desire to go back was further triggered when a handful of her fellow evacuees here started to pack up and return to their homes after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) lowered the alert level at Taal to 3.
But a few meters away, she heard her nephew Noriel arguing with some of their neighbors about how unsafe it was to go back.
"I really want to go back but he (Noriel) has a good point. That's why we decided to remain until we are assured that it is already safe," Marcellana told the Manila Bulletin.
Marcellana's decision was shared by almost all of the evacuees here amid confirmation of fissures and damaged houses of their neighbors as a result of the volcanic earthquakes that jolted their town in the past days.
Of the 356 families staying here at the Batangas Provincial Sports Complex, only nine have left as of 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Most of the evacuees here are from Taal town, and most of them decided to send the heads of their families first to conduct ocular inspection on their house and their barangays.
While evacuees were given the option to go back, Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas said that they have to face some serious problems if they do so.
First, Mandanas said that residents have to deal with water and electricity supply problems which are yet to be fully restored.
Second, Mandanas said that it was still unsafe for families with children and elderly since they could be affected by the health hazards of posed by ash.
And third, some of the houses and structures in the evacuees' respective communities may not be structurally safe as a result of the quakes.
These were the reasons, according to Mandanas, why he wanted the evacuees to stay at the evacuation centers until everything could be cleaned up and fixed.
"Our evacuation are still open for them, the distribution of food packs and other basic needs will continue for those who want to remain," said Mandanas.
Window hours
Some of the mayors share the argument of Mandanas.
Talisay Mayor Gerry Natanauan, for instance, decided that he would allow residents to go back to their homes with the condition that they would go back to the evacuation centers at night.
Some of the mayors, for instance, also opted to implement window hours for the residents to return-- to clean and fix their houses and feed their animals.
"The possibility of eruption is still there so while we allowed them to return, it would be better for them to remain," said Mandanas.
Other problems
Aside from safety issue, evacuees could be facing problems on the lack of food once they go back home.
While some of the evacuees have jobs and relatives to depend on, most of them have lost their means of livelihood.
"If they stay at the evacuation centers, we will continue to provide them with food and other basic needs," said Mandanas.
Magiting Centers
In order to address the problem, Mandanas said they will be setting up food centers in every barangays of the affected areas.
Called Magiting Centers, they will serve as assistance hubs for returning evacuees to get food, drinking water, medicine and other basic needs.
But the Magiting Centers are yet to be established and are expected to become fully operational once an order from the Provincial Government for the evacuees to return is issued.
On Sunday, what was given was just an option for residents to return.
There are more than 400,000 evacuees staying in more than 600 evacuation centers in Batangas and nearby provinces.
The provincial government has yet to come up with figure as to how many of the evacuees have returned to their homes.
READ MORE:Â Taal Volcano alert status lowered to level 3