President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. assured the public that the government is on top of the situation as two of the country's active volcanoes– Taal and Mayon– exhibit alarming activities that prompted residents in the surrounding areas to evacuate. *Mayon Volcano as of June 8, 2023. (DOST-PHIVOLCS/Facebook)*

In an interview with reporters at the Manila Hotel on Thursday evening, June 8, the President said that the Mayon Volcano in Albay is "a little bit more advanced" compared to the Taal Volcano in Batangas, which is "not in such a precarious, dangerous situation." He said that the government has been busy evacuating people near the Mayon Volcano as its eruption seemed inevitable. "Right now, what we are doing is preparing and moving people away from the area so that should the time come, kung hindi man. I hope it doesn't happen but, unfortunately, the science tells us na parang ganoon na nga ang mangyayari (that it will erupt)," Marcos said. "Kasi yung (It's because)... the lid, [or] the cap, on top of the lava is slowly rising-- not-so-slowly rising-- at baka puputok nga. Kaya nakaabang tayo nang husto (and it may really erupt. That's why we're on alert)," he added. Despite these, the Chief Executive assured the public that the government is prepared for any eventuality, including assisting those evacuated as a precaution. "Naka-ready naman na tayo. Ganoon naman talaga ang ating ginagawa (We're ready. That's what we always do)," Marcos said. "We watch it very, very closely. Make sure that any of the communities that could be affected are evacuated and are given assistance while they are evacuated until the time that they can return to their homes. It's the same thing," he added. Meanwhile, President Marcos raised concern about the Taal Volcano's continued gas emission that caused volcanic smog to hit areas surrounding the volcano. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded high sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions averaging 9,193 tons daily on June 5. The President said that the Department of Health (DOH) has started attending to those who might have been affected by the gas emission. The government has also begun moving people out of the wind's path. "May toxic gas na medyo naramdaman na ng mga ibang taga-doon (People are started to get affected by the toxic gas). The DOH are looking after those people," he said. "We know where the wind is blowing kaya alam na natin kung saan dadaan yung mga toxic na gasses kaya paiiwasin na natin yung mga tao na nakatira doon sa area na yun (so we know where the toxic gasses are going so we'll advice people to stay out of those areas)," he added. The Phivolcs raised Mayon Volcano's status to Alert Level 3 on Thursday, noting an "increased tendency towards a hazardous eruption." Meanwhile, Taal Volcano remained on Alert Level 1 as of Thursday evening, but the gas emission prompted local governments to suspend classes.