By Brian Campued
In line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to ensure that no Bicolano will be left behind amid the increasing unrest of Mayon Volcano, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) – Field Office (FO) V – Bicol Region, in collaboration with the Philippine Army and Philippine Coast Guard, immediately established a tent city for internally displaced individuals (IDPs) in Albay.
In a Facebook post Friday, the DSWD FO V said the tent city was installed at Barangay San Jose in Malilipot, Albay on Thursday, just a day after the local government unit requested assistance.
Each family tent can accommodate at least five to seven individuals. The IDPs are residents of Barangay Calbayog, which is within the 6-kilometer permanent danger zone (PDZ).
As of Thursday, the families evacuated from the 6-kilometer PDZ are currently staying in San Jose Elementary School in Malilipot; Hiraya Manawari Permanent Alternate Houses in Tabaco City; Buang Covered Court in Barangay Purok in Tabaco City; and Baligang Elementary School in Camalig.
DSWD Sec. Rex Gatchalian personally visited Albay on Thursday to oversee the ongoing disaster response and relief operations in the region amid the restiveness of Mayon.
Gatchalian led the distribution of family food packs (FFPs) and non-food items to 381 families taking temporary shelter at San Jose Elementary School in Malilipot.
At least 1,000 IDPs were also given hot meals from the mobile kitchen deployed at the evacuation center. The agency’s mobile water station was also put on standby to provide clean water to the evacuees.
Gatchalian, along with other DSWD officials, likewise visited evacuees in Tabaco City to distribute relief items.
He assured that the agency is ready to tap its quick response funds for emergency cash transfers and cash-for-work program to assist affected communities, especially if Mayon’s status will be raised to Alert Level 4.
“Suffice to say, if this protracts or escalates to Level 4, the national government stands ready to help the province and the local government units… We’re ready and we came here to talk to the mayors so that we can already plot out what to do if things turn for the worse,” Gatchalian said during a press conference at the Albay Provincial Capitol.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) assured that there is enough supply of medicines and health commodities for evacuees affected by Mayon’s increasing activity.
In a Facebook post, the DOH said that its Bicol office already has around 29,682 boxes of surgical masks; 2,500 water containers; 1,000 tablets of Aquatabs; one unit of 4,000-liter water tanker; medicines for cough, fever, colds; maintenance medicines; as well as hygiene kits.
On Friday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said that two volcanic earthquakes, 72 rockfall events, and 100 pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) were recorded between 12:00 a.m. on Jan. 8 to 12:00 a.m. of Jan. 9.
Mayon Volcano remains under Alert Level 3.
-jpv
