Tolentino pushes for ‘adopt a livestock’ program amid Mayon’s unrest

MANILA, Philippines —  Senator Francis Tolentino is pushing to implement an ‘adopt a livestock’ program in various localities in the province of Albay that were affected by the Mayon Volcano’s continuous unrest.

“Yung experience po naman namin noon sa Taal eruption…yung mga kabayo, mga baka, ang ginawa po, in-adopt po ng iba’t ibang lugar [na safe pero malapit] kung saan sila pwedeng alagaan. Sila muna ang nag-alaga—siguro, nag-usap na lang sila ng may-ari [ng hayop] pagkatapos ng eruption kung may ire-reimburse kapag may kaunting nagastos,” Tolentino said in a statement issued on Sunday.

(During the Taal eruption, the horses and cows were adopted by people from safe but close areas. The locals who temporarily looked after the animals would talk to the owner after the eruption and reimburse additional expenses they spent on caring for them.)

Tolentino was referring to his experience during the aftermath of the Mayon and Taal eruptions in 2018 and 2020, respectively, where he was the overall onsite point person under the previous administration.

Meanwhile, Albay Governor Grex Lagman backed Tolentino’s recommendation for the “adopt a livestock” program, as the provincial government is set to evacuate 10,000 livestock from the 6-kilometer permanent danger zone (PDZ) of Mayon Volcano. These livestock will be placed in a separate evacuation center.

Lagman added that the program would also address the possible overcrowding in evacuation centers. He revealed that 10,600 residents of Albay residing inside the PDZ have already been evacuated.

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