Palace appeals to evacuees: Don’t return to high risk areas

MANILA, Philippines  — Malacañang on Tuesday appealed to evacuees affected by the eruption of Taal volcano not to return to their homes yet since the “hazardous eruption” of the volcano is still imminent.

“’Yun pong mga sinasabing nasa lugar na mapanganib, ‘wag na muna kayong bumalik sapagkat hindi pa tayo nakakasiguro kung safe na yung lugar na yun (Those who are from high-risk areas, please don’t return to your homes yet because we’re still not sure if those areas are safe yet),” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in his briefing.

Panelo also advised affected residents to heed to the safety instructions and to monitor government updates regarding their respective areas.

“Pakinggan niyo pong maigi sapagkat yung mga pahayag na ‘yon ay ang layunin non ay upang ipaalam sainyo ang pangkasalukuyang sitwasyon at kung papano kayo mailalayo sa panganib (I advise the public to listen to those updates carefully because this aims to inform you about the current situation in your respective areas and how to stay away from danger),” he said.

“Iyun pong mga aral na ibinibigay sainyo kagaya ng pagtatakip ng inyong mga ilong kahit na walang mask, yung panyo pwede ninyong basain at ilagay sa ilong (Safety tips like protecting your nose from the ashfall even without a mask, you can use a damp towel instead),” he added.

President Rodrigo Duterte is set to visit Batangas Tuesday afternoon.

Over 30,000 residents of Batangas and Cavite have been affected by Taal’s recent eruptive activity, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC).

Of this number, the NDRRMC said 18,187 people or 4,175 families were taken to temporary shelter in 118 evacuation areas.

Majority of those displaced came from Talisay and San Nicolas in Batangas, the NDRRMC noted.

Taal volcano, the country’s second most active volcano, is currently on Alert Level 4 which means that “hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours to days,” according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Ashfall from Taal affected nearby provinces and has reached as far as Quezon City.