Mass evacuations of more than 14,000 residents are currently being conducted in high-risk barangays of Agoncillo and Laurel towns of Batangas after Taal Volcano spewed a kilometer-high phreatomagmatic plume and was eventually placed under Alert Level 3 which means magmatic intrusion at the main crater was monitored and that the activities may further drive succeeding eruptions.
Mark Timbal, spokesman of the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), said residents of areas near the volcano in Agoncillo were started to be evacuated at around 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 1, the current focus are residents of Barangays Banyaga and Bilibinwang.
Timbal said local officials of Laurel town also started moving residents of Barangays Gulod, Boso-Boso an Lakeshore Bugaan East.
"We are closely coordinating the situation in coordination with all relevant agencies. Our officials in Cavite and Batangas already called an emergency meeting with the uniformed services for the evacuation," said Timbal.
"A contingency plan for this type of emergency is in place and this guides the actions of our disaster managers," he added.
On Thursday morning, police forces in Batangas and Cavite were advised to coordinate with the local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (DRRMCs) for the evacuation of residents that are expected to be affected by the rumblings of the Taal Volcano.
Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said concerned police offices and units should start coordinating with local government units to find out if there are residents in need of assistance due to the volcano’s continuing state of unrest.
He noted that the local police offices should also monitor developments on the volcano’s activity.
In January 2020, the police raised its security status on some areas in Calabarzon, especially in Batangas, following Taal Volcano's phreatic eruption.