More Calabarzon schools call off classes due to ‘vog’ from Taal

Residents go on their daily life amid volcanic smog or vog from Taal Volcano in Agoncillo, Batangas., on August 19, 2024. Classes were suspended on some towns in the province due to the vog. However, the observed Metro Manila “haze” is “likely due to local pollutants” and not vog from Taal Volcano, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). —Inquirer photo/Richard A. Reyes

LUCENA CITY, QUEZON, Philippines — To protect students and teachers from the harmful effects of volcanic smog, or “vog,” from Taal Volcano, more local governments in the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) region also suspended classes on Tuesday.

Laguna Gov. Ramil Hernandez and Rizal Gov. Rebecca Ynarez announced on Monday afternoon the suspension of classes in public and private schools in their respective provinces due to vog.

Both urged school authorities to shift in the meantime to alternative learning modalities such as modular and online learning.

Hernandez also encouraged residents “to take precautions, wear face masks, drink plenty of water and, as much as possible, stay indoors or at their workplace.”

READ: LIST: Aug 19 class suspensions due to volcanic smog from Taal

“We also advise everyone to avoid going out of the house unless necessary and to wear an N95 mask for protection,” Ynarez said in a post on social media.

In Cavite, all local governments in the province also called off classes on Tuesday, compared with only 13 municipalities in Batangas, the Office of Civil Defense in Calabarzon reported.

In Quezon province, local authorities in Tayabas City and the towns of Candelaria, Dolores, Mauban, Lucban, San Antonio, and Alabat, likewise ordered the suspension of classes.

On Monday, Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara issued Memorandum No. 46, authorizing affected schools to suspend classes in the absence of an official announcement from local governments.

Phreatic eruption

His memorandum cited recent phreatic or steam-driven eruptions of Taal Volcano and its release of vog.

Vog contains acidic droplets of volcanic gas like sulfur dioxide, which can irritate the eyes, throat, and respiratory tract.

Health authorities warned that people with asthma, lung or heart disease, the elderly, pregnant women, and children were especially vulnerable to the effects of vog.

On Tuesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported sodium dioxide emissions of 3,355 metric tons over the past 24 hours that rose to 2,600 meters above Taal Volcano Island, locally known as “Pulo,” which sits within Taal Lake, before drifting northwest.

The Phivolcs classified the latest spewing activity of the volcano as “voluminous emission.”

State volcanologists also noted the continuous presence of vog, which started to appear on Saturday during their monitoring.