Duterte orders PNP to bar public from entering Taal island

Residents living along Taal lake catch fish as Taal volcano erupts in Tanauan town, Batangas province south of Manila on January 14, 2020.  (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to bar people from going to Taal island following the recent eruptions.

This was after Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana revealed that the President has approved the recommendation to bar people from living on the island.

“The President has explicitly ordered that no individual should return to the said island, and to this end, the Philippine National Police has been tasked to prevent those seeking to return to the locality from doing do. Those affected by the directive will receive the appropriate assistance from the government,” Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

Panelo also asked the public for cooperation and assured financial assistance has been extended by the Office of the President to those affected.

“The Palace is therefore asking the public, particularly those who have been living in the island, for their cooperation and understanding as it is the primordial duty of the government to protect not only their safety and welfare but their very lives,” Panelo said.

“The Office of the President also wishes to relay to the public that the President has extended financial assistance to citizens directly affected by the ongoing eruption in Batangas yesterday,” he added.

“In particular, PRRD handed over P7.5-million to farmers and another P3.5-million to the fisherfolk for their means of livelihood. The Chief Executive likewise issued a check to help farmers recover from their displacement and distributed family food packs to distressed families,” he further said.

The President on Tuesday visited evacuees in Batangas city and appealed to them against going back to their homes amid Taal’s continued unrest.