By Joseph Almer Pedrajas BALETE, Batangas — Animals were rescued while belongings were dug up from waist-deep ash as residents of the island-village on Taal Lake defied the imminent danger posed by the continuous activities of Taal Volcano to save what little they had left early Wednesday morning.  (CZEASAR DANCEL/MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) Below intimidating skies discolored by volcanic ash, Jun Maranan, 46, crossed the lake before dawn to go to Barangay Bignay, Talisay from Bgy. Sala here by a 30-minute boat ride to save not only his horse but also those of others. “Kami po ay naaawa sa aming hayop. ‘Yung sabi po ng iba na hindi namin isinama ang aming mga alaga sa pagkalikas namin, hindi ho totoo,” Magpantay, a fisherman-tourist guide in Bignay, said when the Manila Bulletin chanced upon them washing horses along the coast. One horse was carried per boat. (We feel sorry for our animals. What others have been saying that we didn’t bring our pets with us when we left, that’s not true.) “Ang inuna muna namin ay aming sarili at hindi naman sila magkakasya sa bangka. Noon hong kumalma na ang bulkan, amin ho’y binalikan,” he added. (We took care of ourselves first, and anyway the animals would not fit in the boat. When the volcano calmed down, we went back for them.) Magpantay was among a group of men who have already rescued at least 50 horses since Monday from the islands already buried by ash at the foot of Taal Volcano. “Siguro may mga isang daan pang kabayo doon. Hindi na namin makuha dahil pinipigilan na kami ng Coast Guard,” John Paul Silva, 18, another member of the group, said. “Wala na silang makain. Pag kami nga ho ay dumadating, sila’y tumatakbo papunta sa amin.” (There are maybe 100 horses still there. We couldn’t get them out because the Coast Guard prevented us. They have nothing to eat. Whenever we arrive there, they run toward us.) Other animals, including dogs, chickens, ducks, pigs and cows, were still trapped in the area, according to the residents. The horses were used for tourists visiting Taal Volcano, while chickens, ducks, pigs, and cows were used for breeding or were sold for their meat. They were the primary source of income of residents living at the foot of the volcano, aside from fishing. The Philippine Coast Guard on Monday started prohibiting evacuees living in the islands in the middle of the Taal Lake from returning home for their own safety. But some still disregarded the possibility of a volcanic tsunami as they were eager to get their belongings. Among them was Florencio Maranan, 40, who dug his family’s clothes and kitchen ware from the waist-deep ash covering their home in Bignay. Despite the situation they are facing, he still kept his faith and also made sure to get their Santo Niño (child Jesus) statue. “S’yempre ito ang naggagabay sa atin. Tignan nyo, kahit gumuho na ang bahay, hindi pa rin s’ya natabunan.” (Of course he was our guide. Look, even if the house is ruined, he still wasn’t covered.) Robert Orozo, 38, is asking authorities if they could be escorted to their houses, instead of being outright prohibited from returning. They are recovering and rescuing their belongings and animals so they would still have something and not have to start from scratch. “Ewan ko nalang ho pagtapos n’yan. Kaya namin ginagayon para makapagsimula ho ulit kami,” Orozo, a fishermen-poultry worker, said. “Para kahit anong mangyari may maisalba kami. ‘Yun ang aming ibig sabihin, para hindi kami masyadong umasa sa iba. Ang aming maisalba, maipepera pa. Para makapagsimula, at kung may matitirhan dito sa bayan, maipagnenegosyo ng unti.” (I don’t know what happens after that. The reason we’re doing this is so we can start over. So whatever happens we can save something. That’s what we mean, that we don’t rely too much on others. Whatever we save, we can turn into money. So we can start over, and if we find a place to live in the town, we can start a small business.)