LEGAZPI CITY — As the Albay Public Safety Emergency Management Office (APSEMO) extended the danger zone to a 9-km. radius, the number of families affected has increased to 14,241 or 56,217 individuals as of Tuesday afternoon.
APSEMO head Cedric Daep confirmed in an interview that the affected families are residents of 46 barangays in the towns of Camalig and Guinobatan, the city of Ligao, Daraga, Tabaco City, Malilipot, Santo Domingo, and Legaspi City, all in Albay province.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Monday raised Mayon Volcano’s alert level to 4 after it billowed two successive 10-km. cauliflower-type ash columns, sending heavy ashfalls in the towns of Camalig, Guinobatan, and Ligao City.
Meanwhile, the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) office in Bicol on Tuesday issued a travel advisory to all foreign and domestic visitors.
“In view of the increased activity and imminent major eruption of Mayon Volcano, as indicated by the hoisting of alert level 4 by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the DOT enjoins the public to strictly observe safety precautions,” the advisory read.
DOT regional director Benjamin Santiago said,
“Foreign and domestic visitors, who have arrived in the area to watch the once-in-a-lifetime spectacle displayed by the country’s magnificent natural treasure, must abide by the mandatory precautions imposed by the authorities, particularly keeping off the 8-km. radius danger zone.”
Similarly, all operators of accommodations and other tourism-related establishments, including resorts and tourism sites/destinations, are directed to take preventive measures for the safety of the guests, Santiago added. (PNA)
