The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) has deployed water filtration units in Albay to address the reported inadequacies in potable water of evacuees due to the ongoing unrest of Mayon Volcano.

*Mayon Volcano (File photo)

* Diego Agustin Mariano, head of OCD joint information unit, said the civil defense has coordinated with the regional office in Bicol (OCD-5) to determine and attend to the needs of the evacuees. “Sapat po ang supply ng pagkain pati tubig. Nagdeploy po tayo ng water filtration units sakaling magkulang ‘yung potable water (There is enough supply of food and water. We deployed water filtration units there in case their supply of potable water is lacking),” Mariano said in a radio interview with dzBB on Sunday, June 11. According to reports, evacuees in Legazpi, Albay were complaining of lack of potable water, clean toilets, and electricity in some evacuation centers. They also reportedly complained of the lack of proper ventilation as the shelters were packed with tents. Mariano said help is underway to address the complaints of the evacuees. “Nakaready po tayo i-augment kung ano ang kailangan nila. Katuwang natin ang OCD Region 5 so sila po ang gumagawa ng legwork pagdating sa ganyan (We are ready to augment whatever they need. We are working together with the OCD Region 5 which conducts the legwork in such matters),” he said. A situational report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) showed that a total of 3,538 families or 12,804 individuals have been evacuated due to Mayon’s unrest. A total of P6,934,050 worth of family food packs, bottled water, family tents, hygiene kits, and other assistance were given to the evacuees. Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies were also told to conduct stricter security operations to prevent residents from returning to the six-km radius Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ). “Katuwang natin ang LGUs, Philippine National Police, at Armed Forces of the Philippines para sa paghihigpit sa Permanent Danger Zone na walang makakabalik sakaling lumabas, at sila ay nagse-setup ng chokepoints para po dyan (We are working with the LGUs, Philippine National Police, and Armed Forces of the Philippines to implement stricter security at the Permanent Danger Zone so that those who got out will never be able to come back, and chokepoints were setup there by the forces),” Mariano noted.