Tagaytay seminary emptied amid Taal volcano unrest

A general view of houses with roofs covered with ash, spewed by Taal Volcano in Tagaytay City on Jan. 14, 2020. (Photo by TED ALJIBE / AFP)

CITY OF CALAPAN –– Occupants of Mindoro’s major seminary in Tagaytay City were evacuated after a state of calamity was declared on Jan. 15 over Cavite province due to the heightened unrest of Taal Volcano.

Fr. Andy Lubi, rector of St. Augustine Major Seminary (SASMA), said Friday that they evacuated Wednesday morning.

“With sadness, we evacuated our beloved Kanlungan last Wednesday morning to take refuge in much safer places of our families and friends in Trece Martirez City, Metro Manila, and Oriental Mindoro, fervently praying that we can again [go] home the soonest …” Lubi said.

Classes at the Divine Word School of Theology have been canceled until January 26, he said. DSWT is located next to SASMA, where the seminarians go for theological studies.

“However, once Phivolcs (Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology) lowers or lifts the alert level (4 over Taal Volcano), we will immediately return to start rehabilitating our seminary,” he said.

SASMA also suffered damage from ash fall brought by the steam-driven or phreatic eruption of Taal last Jan. 12.

“Let’s continue praying that Taal Volcano would start returning to her serene state,” said Lubi, who is now in Calapan City./lzb