President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Saturday, June 10, asked Bikolanos living near Mayon Volcano to heed government warning and assured them that aid and funds are on standby in case of a “hazardous” eruption as predicted.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (File photo/MANILA BULLETIN)
In a tweet, the Chief Executive lined up the funds currently available to help the people of Albay, where the Mayon Volcano is situated.
He said that there is a P114 million quick response fund at the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Central Office, P5 million at the DSWD Field Office Region V, and 179,000 family food packs in the Disaster Response Centers.
“Sa pagsasailalim sa probinsya ng Albay sa state of calamity dahil sa pag-aalburoto ng Bulkang Mayon, pinapaalalahanan ang ating mga kababayang Bikolano na sumunod lamang sa mga rekomendasyon at evacuation instructions ng inyong lokal na pamahalaan upang masiguro ang kaligtasan ng bawat isa (In putting the province of Albay under a state of calamity because of the Mayon Volcano unrest, we are reminding our Bicolano fellowmen to follow the recommendation and evacuation instructions of your local government to ensure the safety of each other),” Marcos said.
The President shared that families inside the six-kilometer permanent danger zone are currently being evacuated.
He added that the DSWD is on standby and ready to help, and key agencies like the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs) are also coordinating to prepare for the impending eruption of the volcano.
On Friday, June 9, Albay province was placed under a state of calamity due to the threat of a “hazardous” eruption of Mayon Volcano.
This was after Philvolcs raised Alert Level 3, warning an eruption could be days or weeks away.
Phivolcs said in its latest report that there were 199 rockfall events and six fast-moving avalanches of volcanic ash, rock and gases, known as pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), on Mayon's slopes.
Mayon, one of the country’s most volatile volcanoes, displaced tens of thousands of people after spewing ash, rocks, and lava in 2018.
Phivolcs is also monitoring Taal Volcano in Batangas and Kanlaon Volcano on Negros island for their continued unrest.