President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said he was pleased with how the government has been responding to the Mayon Volcano's continued unrest but renewed his call on government agencies to help keep the affected residents, particularly children, productive. *MAYON'S UNREST — President Marcos leads a situation briefing on Mayon Volcano's restiveness in Legazpi City on June 14, 2023. (PPA Pool/MPC Pool)*

Marcos said this as he led the situation briefing on the Mayon Volcano's restiveness at the Albay Astrodome in Legazpi City on Wednesday evening, June 14. In his response, the President said that the response, so far, has been "satisfactory". “I think that the response that we have put together is satisfactory, that we were able to prepare and we were able to achieve so far yung sinasabi ng province (na) walang casualty (that there were no casualties),” he said. “Patuloy natin (Let's keep this up). We will follow that principle in everything that we are doing,” he added. However, Marcos said the evacuees must have some activity or source of livelihood while waiting for Mayon Volcano to stabilize. “I don’t know what livelihood or something [that we can provide] para mayroon naman silang ginagawa, mayroon naman silang pinagkakakitaan (so that they're doing something, making money),” he said. The President also expressed concern about the toll of the disaster on children’s emotional and mental health while staying at the evacuation centers. “Isipin natin yung mga bata (Let's think about the children). What can we do with them?" Marcos said. "Maybe DepEd (Department of Education) can help us, maybe the NGOs (nongovernment organizations) can help us. So that active naman sila doon at hindi lang nag-aantay ng araw-araw na walang ginagawa (they remain active and not just waiting everyday doing nothing). That is not a small issue,” he added. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) assured President Marcos that it would include the evacuees in its Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program where a family member could earn P10,950 for 30 days. TUPAD is a community-based package of assistance that provides emergency employment for displaced, underemployed, and seasonal workers for a minimum period of 10 days but not exceeding 30 days. They will do community gardening near the evacuation centers, temporary shelter maintenance and housekeeping, and food preparations. The DOLE said they are coordinating with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) to maximize assistance to the evacuees. DepEd Region V Director Gilbert Sadsad said the DepEd devised schemes to continue educating children while they are in the evacuation centers. Under the scheme, the original school occupants will attend classes in the morning, while the evacuees will do the classes in the afternoon. Others will be taught through modular distance learning. During the break this July, DepEd, he said, will have a learning camp to provide intervention and enrichment activities for the children in the evacuation centers. Temporary learning shelters or spaces will also be put up in the evacuation centers with the help of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), according to Sadsad. The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported that 4,400 families, or 15,676 individuals, were displaced by the Mayon’s unrest. Of the said figure, 4,215 families are in evacuation centers. Mayon Volcano is currently under Alert Level 3.