Outgoing Vice President Leni Robredo will send a relief team to Bulusan, Sorsogon, in her home region of Bicol amid the phreatic eruption of the Bulusan Volcano on Sunday, June 5.
“We are currently preparing for our relief operations in Bulusan, Sorsogon, and the surrounding areas. Immediate needs identified are face masks and bottled water,” she said in a Twitter post.
“Our team will be travelling to Sorsogon ASAP. Will continue to update you of other needs,” Robredo added.
The Vice President, who will end her term at noon on June 30, identified Juban and Irosin towns as the affected areas.
Sorsogon and nearby areas saw the phreatic eruption of the Bulusan Volcano that spewed ash on Sunday morning.
“This is to notify the public and concerned authorities of an ongoing phreatic eruption at Bulusan Volcano,” the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) confirmed in a social media post.
READ: Phivolcs reports ongoing phreatic eruption at Bulusan Volcano
The agency said this means Alert Level 1 is raised over Bulusan Volcano because it is in an “abnormal condition.”
The phreatic eruption started at 10:37 a.m. and lasted for about 17 minutes.
Reports said there is minimal to zero visibility caused by the thick ash.
Schools in the towns of Juban, Irosin, Casiguran, and Bulusan are possible evacuation centers.
Robredo has been present in every disaster that struck the country, her most popular relief operation being during Typhoon Rolly and the flooding of Cagayan Valley.