President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has thanked United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his country's assistance to the families displaced by the ongoing unrest of Mayon Volcano.

PHONE CALL — President Marcos engages President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in a phone conversation from Malacañang on June 23, 2023. (Malacañang photo)

Marcos conveyed this during a phone conversation with his Emirati counterpart on Friday, June 23.

According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Marcos thanked Sheikh Mohamed for extending assistance to displaced families by the Mayon Volcano eruption.

The UAE has sent 50 tons of food supplies and medicine to Mayon evacuees.

For his part, Sheikh Mohamed noted the valuable contribution of some 600,000 Filipinos working in UAE.

"I am thankful because you have done so much for us. That's the least we can do," Marcos replied.

According to the President, they discussed having stronger relations, and he lauded the "very good treatment" of Filipino nationals in UAE.

OVP assistance

Meanwhile, the Office of the Vice President, through its Disaster Operations Center (OVP-DOC), launched a five-day relief mission on June 20 in areas affected by Mayon Volcano's phreatic eruption.

RELIEF ASSISTANCE — The Office of the Vice President distributes aid to families displaced by the Mayon Volcano eruption on June 20, 2023. (OVP Media)

With the OVP Bicol Satellite Office, the OVP-DOC assisted 5,390 families or 18,661 residents of 25 barangays from seven cities and municipalities in the province.

The team distributed relief bags containing sleeping mats, blankets, mosquito nets, hygiene kits such as alcohol, face masks, and other sanitary items.

The affected residents are temporarily housed in 23 different evacuation centers in the province.

On June 8, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised the status of Mayon Volcano to Alert Level 3 after it showed an "increased tendency towards a hazardous eruption.