Basic needs of Mayon evacuees are being met – OCD official
Published Jun 30, 2023 05:46 am
Nearly a month since Mayon Volcano exhibited increased volcanic activities, the government is ensuring that the basic needs of tens of thousands of evacuees who are living in temporary shelters are being provided, an official of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) disclosed Friday, June 30.
*(File photo courtesy of House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez' office)
* Diego Agustin Mariano, OCD deputy spokesperson, said that a total of 10,652 families or 41,517 individuals were affected by Mayon’s outburst since June 5. Out of the number, there were 5,365 families or 18,751 individuals who were living in 28 evacuation centers while 408 families or 1,427 individuals were being assisted outside the shelters. “Sapat pa po itong natatanggap nila. Patuloy po ang ating pag-abot ng basic needs na kailangan nila kasama dyan ay pagkain, hygiene kit, mga family kits na kailangan nila sa panunuluyan sa evacuation centers. (They are receiving enough [supplies]. We continuously give their basic needs such as food, hygiene kit, and family kit that they need while staying in evacuation centers),” Mariano said in a public briefing. In fact, Mariano said a total of P111,927,076.97 worth of assistance from the national government and local government units (LGUs) has already been distributed to the affected residents in 26 villages in Bacacay, Camalig, Daraga, Guinobatan, Ligao, Malilipot, Sto. Domingo, and Tabaco. The biggest chunk of aid accounts for food packs valued at P28 million, followed by hygiene kits at P9 million, and sleeping kits at P6 million. Evacuees also received financial assistance from the government totaling P19 million. Meanwhile, the government is also addressing the health concerns of the evacuees as some of them got sick while in the shelters. Some of the leading illnesses among the evacuees include colds, cough, and fever. “Ang ating DOH [Department of Health] is onboard pati ang kanilang regional counterparts. ‘Yung health divisions ng LGUs ay nandoon para tignan at i-check regularly ang mga kababayan na nasa loob ng evacuation centers (Our DOH is onboard as well as their regional counterparts. The health divisions of LGUs are also there to regularly check our people who are inside the evacuation centers),” Mariano said. “Mayroon pong nagkakasakit, ito po ay mga minor illnesses ‘yung mga nakukuha nila habang nasa evacuation centers dahil sa pabago-bagong panahon (There are some who get sick, these are just minor illnesses they acquired while inside the evacuation centers due to the changing weather condition),” he added. As of 8 a.m. Friday, Mayon Volcano remained at Alert Level 3 which means that “it is currently in a relatively high level of unrest” as magma was at the crater and hazardous eruption is possible within weeks or even days.