Manila Bulletin
Philippines
Gov't officials prohibit 'window hours,' strictly enforce lockdown within Taal Volcano danger zone
Philippines
Gov't officials prohibit 'window hours,' strictly enforce lockdown within Taal Volcano danger zone
Gov't officials prohibit 'window hours,' strictly enforce lockdown within Taal Volcano danger zone
Published Jan 20, 2020 12:00 am
By Genalyn Kabiling
Local government units in Batangas should no longer give residents window hours to return to their houses near Taal Volcano amid the lingering danger, disaster response officials said Monday.
Residents wait outside their home near Taal volcano as they evacuate to safer grounds in Agoncillo, Batangas province, southern Philippines on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020. (AP Photo / Aaron Favila / MANILA BULLETIN)
Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) Deputy Administrator Casiano Monilla said authorities must strictly implement the evacuation of residents within the 14-kilometer danger zone around the restive volcano for public safety.
"Kung meron man mga (If there are) local government officials that allow the entry of their people, I hope that they will stop that, dahil hindi natin puwedeng i-determine kung kailan darating iyong eruption na ito (because we cannot determine when the volcano will erupt)," he said in the "Laging Handa" press briefing in Malacañang Monday.
Monilla said there was no guarantee the volcano would not erupt during the window hours enforced by some local government officials.
"The danger is there, alam natin na darating and it will only… masasabi lang natin na dumating na ‘pag nangyari na po ito (The danger is there. We know it will come and we can only say it is here when it happens)," he said.
"We cannot say na isang window na iyan na apat na oras ay hindi mangyayari iyang eruption na iyan (We cannot say that nothing will happen in the four-hour window)."
Batangas Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) Head Lito Castro, in a separate interview with DZMM, echoed Monilla, saying it is still dangerous for residents to return to their homes even for a brief time.
"Napakadelikado po niyan, (That's very dangerous)," Castro said about allowing residents to return to their homes and retrieve their belongings, pets, and other animals.
Castro said Gov. Hermilando Mandanas, by the order of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), will not allow window hours for evacuees.
"Patuloy po ang reiteration ng ating governor -- in fact, sinulatan ulit ng governor ang mga mayor inattach po iyong kautusan ng DILG para po sa forced evacuation," Batangas PDRRMO Head Lito Castro told DZMM on Monday.
"Gusto naming linawin na ang stand po ng governor is sumunod tayo sa forced evacuation, at wala pong pinapahintulutan na window hours."
(The governor continues to reiterate – in fact, he wrote again to the mayors and attached the DILG memorandum on the forced evacuation. We want to make clear that the governor’s stand is for us to comply with the forced evacuation, and that there will be no permission given for window hours.)
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año, for his part, insisted the lockdown and mandatory evacuation be strictly enforced to spare the public from any harm with Alert Level 4 still in place, indicating a big explosion might still occur.
Año thumbed down the window hours, saying there is “no logic" to it after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned numerous times that Taal Volcano may erupt anytime, within "hours or days."
According to DILG, 14 towns in Batangas have been placed on lockdown to prevent residents from going back to their homes give the threat posed by Taal, which continues to be under Alert Level 4 as of Jan. 20.
"Nakarinig ho kami ng news na nag-allow po sila ng kaunting window sa Tanauan, pero inuulit po namin as of the moment, atin pong dine-direct iyong ating mga local DRRMC or Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council sa bawat lokalidad na huwag na pong payagang makapasok doon sa 14 kilometer radius or danger zone na in-identify po ng Phivolcs,” DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III said in a press briefing with Monilla Monday.
(We heard the news that window hours were allowed in Tanauan. We repeat that as of the moment, we directed the local disaster risk reduction and management councils in every locality to forbid entry within the 14-kilometer radius or danger zone identified by Phivolcs.)
Densing said Phivolcs has no plan to downgrade the Alert Level status 4 of Taal Volcano given its continued restive activity as of Monday. He appealed to the affected residents to obey government warnings about the volcano.
"It remains…at alert status number 4, kaya po delikado po ang sitwasyon ngayon, kaya lagi po tayong handa (the situation is dangerous so we must be always ready)," Densing said.
Densing also said around 10,240 policemen are now on standby for deployment in case the Taal situation worsens. At present, 2,820 search and rescue police personnel have been deployed on the ground. "Ready po iyong ating kapulisan para tumulong in terms of public safety and public order (Our policemen are ready to help in terms of public safety and public order)."
Meanwhile, Monilla said the damage caused by Taal to the agricultural sector has reached over P3 billion.
He said the Department of Social Welfare and Development and Department of Health have provided assistance worth P17 million to the communities affected by Taal. (With reports from Noreen Jazul and Chito Chavez)
Residents wait outside their home near Taal volcano as they evacuate to safer grounds in Agoncillo, Batangas province, southern Philippines on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020. (AP Photo / Aaron Favila / MANILA BULLETIN)
Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) Deputy Administrator Casiano Monilla said authorities must strictly implement the evacuation of residents within the 14-kilometer danger zone around the restive volcano for public safety.
"Kung meron man mga (If there are) local government officials that allow the entry of their people, I hope that they will stop that, dahil hindi natin puwedeng i-determine kung kailan darating iyong eruption na ito (because we cannot determine when the volcano will erupt)," he said in the "Laging Handa" press briefing in Malacañang Monday.
Monilla said there was no guarantee the volcano would not erupt during the window hours enforced by some local government officials.
"The danger is there, alam natin na darating and it will only… masasabi lang natin na dumating na ‘pag nangyari na po ito (The danger is there. We know it will come and we can only say it is here when it happens)," he said.
"We cannot say na isang window na iyan na apat na oras ay hindi mangyayari iyang eruption na iyan (We cannot say that nothing will happen in the four-hour window)."
Batangas Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) Head Lito Castro, in a separate interview with DZMM, echoed Monilla, saying it is still dangerous for residents to return to their homes even for a brief time.
"Napakadelikado po niyan, (That's very dangerous)," Castro said about allowing residents to return to their homes and retrieve their belongings, pets, and other animals.
Castro said Gov. Hermilando Mandanas, by the order of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), will not allow window hours for evacuees.
"Patuloy po ang reiteration ng ating governor -- in fact, sinulatan ulit ng governor ang mga mayor inattach po iyong kautusan ng DILG para po sa forced evacuation," Batangas PDRRMO Head Lito Castro told DZMM on Monday.
"Gusto naming linawin na ang stand po ng governor is sumunod tayo sa forced evacuation, at wala pong pinapahintulutan na window hours."
(The governor continues to reiterate – in fact, he wrote again to the mayors and attached the DILG memorandum on the forced evacuation. We want to make clear that the governor’s stand is for us to comply with the forced evacuation, and that there will be no permission given for window hours.)
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año, for his part, insisted the lockdown and mandatory evacuation be strictly enforced to spare the public from any harm with Alert Level 4 still in place, indicating a big explosion might still occur.
Año thumbed down the window hours, saying there is “no logic" to it after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned numerous times that Taal Volcano may erupt anytime, within "hours or days."
According to DILG, 14 towns in Batangas have been placed on lockdown to prevent residents from going back to their homes give the threat posed by Taal, which continues to be under Alert Level 4 as of Jan. 20.
"Nakarinig ho kami ng news na nag-allow po sila ng kaunting window sa Tanauan, pero inuulit po namin as of the moment, atin pong dine-direct iyong ating mga local DRRMC or Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council sa bawat lokalidad na huwag na pong payagang makapasok doon sa 14 kilometer radius or danger zone na in-identify po ng Phivolcs,” DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III said in a press briefing with Monilla Monday.
(We heard the news that window hours were allowed in Tanauan. We repeat that as of the moment, we directed the local disaster risk reduction and management councils in every locality to forbid entry within the 14-kilometer radius or danger zone identified by Phivolcs.)
Densing said Phivolcs has no plan to downgrade the Alert Level status 4 of Taal Volcano given its continued restive activity as of Monday. He appealed to the affected residents to obey government warnings about the volcano.
"It remains…at alert status number 4, kaya po delikado po ang sitwasyon ngayon, kaya lagi po tayong handa (the situation is dangerous so we must be always ready)," Densing said.
Densing also said around 10,240 policemen are now on standby for deployment in case the Taal situation worsens. At present, 2,820 search and rescue police personnel have been deployed on the ground. "Ready po iyong ating kapulisan para tumulong in terms of public safety and public order (Our policemen are ready to help in terms of public safety and public order)."
Meanwhile, Monilla said the damage caused by Taal to the agricultural sector has reached over P3 billion.
He said the Department of Social Welfare and Development and Department of Health have provided assistance worth P17 million to the communities affected by Taal. (With reports from Noreen Jazul and Chito Chavez)