President Duterte favored the suspension of classes in schools within the seven-kilometer danger zone of Taal Volcano’s eruptions.
In his prerecorded “Talk to the People” program aired Wednesday morning, the President said it was “prudent” to suspend classes in the threatened areas to keep the students out of harm’s way.
Education Secretary Leonor Briones reported that classes were suspended in at least 19 schools in Batangas after Taal showed signs of restiveness.
Briones said the children’s safety, particularly those studying in the “permanent danger zones” might be compromised due to the volcanic eruptions. “That is why we suspended classes (in those schools).
“Normalcy must be achieved there first. It would be on the side of prudence not to expose the children to danger,” the Chief Executive said.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised Taal Volcano’s status to Alert Level 3 as it sustained its eruptions on Saturday.
Phivolcs director Renato Solidum earlier said the Alert Level 3 declared over Taal Volcano might be lowered to Alert Level 2 if eruptions stopped in the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is set to release P100 million to provide emergency employment the Taal victims.
“We are prepared just in case there will more people affected by Taal’s eruption. We are preparing, I’ve instructed our finance officer to make ready and available P50 million to P100 million, in case it’s needed,” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III told to the President during the “Talk to the People” briefing on Tuesday night.
Bello said the assistance would be given to residents of affected areas, specifically the towns of Agoncillo , Laurel, San Luis, Taal, Calaca, Calatagan and Lemery in Batangas.
The beneficiaries would be employed for 10 days and compensated based on the minimum wage prevailing in the region.
“The minimum wage in Region 4 is P400 a day, so they will work for 10 days, we will give them P4,000 for 10 days work. We can give that immediately,” he added.
Bello also said DOLE would provide livelihood assistance to the affected individuals.
Based on the latest data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the total number of victims affected by Taal’s unrest was estimated at 1,823 families or 6,568 people.
Some 1,16o families or 4,039 individuals were currently taking shelter in 19 evacuation centers, while 484 families or 1,886 people were those staying outside the evacuation centers.
The alert status in Taal Volcano is likely to remain at Level 3 (magmatic unrest) and could be further downgraded if volcanic activity continues to go down without any explosions in the next two weeks.
“At present, the alert level 3 status could be sustained. If the (volcanic activity) would continuously decrease starting today, and there are no explosions, we could de-escalate its alert status within two weeks,” Philippine Institute of Volcano and Seismology (Phivolcs) director Renato Solidum Jr reported to the President.
“If we compare the eruption in January 2020 to the eruptions last Saturday, the recent eruption was much smaller. The height of the eruption column reached 16 kilometers in 2020, versus three kilometers last Saturday,” he said.
Volcanic plumes are columns of hot volcanic ash and gas emitted into the atmosphere during volcanic eruptions. A weaker eruption is based on the height of the plume coming out of the crater.
Phivolcs on Saturday raised the alert level of the Taal Volcano from Level 2 (increasing unrest) to Level 3, which means that magma extruding from the main crater could drive explosive eruptions.
“We recommended the evacuation from barangays Agoncillo, Banyaga, Bilibinwang, Laurel, Boso-Boso, Gulod, and eastern part ng Bugaan East,” Solidum said, adding that these are the areas that could be mostly affected should there be bigger eruptions.
Solidum warned that the sulfur dioxide emission from the volcano is harmful to health.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said people should stay indoors, avoid opening the windows and doors, use wet curtains, and wear face masks.
Prepare a medicine supply for asthma and other allergies that could be triggered by ash fall, Duque added.
He also recommended the use of protective goggles and avoid wearing of contact lenses. Food safety should also be ensured by washing it thoroughly and drinking water should be sealed, he said.