Salceda appeals for continued gov't aid amid Mayon 'waiting game'
Mayon Volcano (Yves Eli Yu- Rep. Joey Salceda's Facebook)
Saying that the current restiveness of Mayon Volcano could turn into a "waiting game", Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda has asked national government agencies to keep their disaster relief and evacuation support up and running for as long as they can. “This could be protacted;” Salceda said of Mayon’s rumblings, which has already resulted in the evacuation of thousands of Albayanons. “Historically, the scenarios are 45, 90, or 110 days. It could, of course, get even longer than that. This will be a waiting game. Until an explosive eruption happens, or the alert level goes down, we can’t really do much other than evacuate and wait," noted Salceda, who is no stranger to Mayon eruptions, being a former three-term Albay governor. According to the House Committee on Ways and Means chairman, the executive branch must show “patience and stamina” as “evacuation efforts and the wait for an actual eruption could take weeks or months". “So, this will really require stamina and patience. I am sure President [Ferdinand "Bongbong"] Marcos [Jr.] and the national government will have the patience to see this through. But the economic disruption will also be significant,” Salceda added. Earlier, House Speaker Martin Romualdez announced that P33 million worth of assistance was on its way to the first three districts of Albay whose residents were affected by the volcanic activity. The aid--in cash and in kinds--was facilitated by Speaker Romualdez's office and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).