Gov't assures all hands on deck for possible Taal eruption

All hands are on deck in the national government's response for the possible eruption of Taal Volcano, officials said on Wednesday.

At the weekly Talk to the People, officials of various government agencies presented before President Rodrigo Duterte their respective contingency plans should the situation over Taal escalate to Alert Level 4 (hazardous imminent eruption) from the current Alert Level 3 (magmatic unrest).

Education Secretary Leonor Briones reported the department has already suspended classes at around 19 schools located in the permanent danger zone, including the municipalities of Agoncillo and Laurel in Batangas province.

Schools in nearby areas, meanwhile, were also converted to evacuation centers.

“Ang policy natin originally eh, dini-discourage na ginagamit ang ating  schools as evacuation centers kasi mae-expose ang mga bata… but in the case of Taal and other major disasters, pumayag tayo under your advice. So may mga schools ngayon na ginawang evacuation centers dito sa bayan ng Agoncillo,” Briones told the President.

(Our policy originally discouraged the use of schools for evacuation centers to protect the students…but in the case of Taal and other major disasters, we agreed under the President’s advice. That’s why some schools in the town of Agoncillo are now converted into evacuation centers.)

For its part, the Armed Force of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) coordinated with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) for the evacuation of disaster-stricken residents.

AFP Vice Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Erickson Gloria said the military has deployed a total of 968 personnel to assist in humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) operations in the affected areas.

At least 41 staff from the 59th Infantry Battalion were assigned in Agoncillo and Laurel while the rest were put on standby.

The AFP also prepared 28 military land assets and four rubber boats positioned well-within Region IV-A (Calabarzon) and four air assets including three S70i Black Hawk utility helicopters and one Huey utility helicopter.

Gloria also reported the AFP General Headquarters placed the South Luzon Command under HADR Red Alert Status effective March 26 and has activated Joint Task Group Taal.

“For the way ahead, the AFP will continue to coordinate with OCD IV-A and local DRRMOs (Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Office) for HADR operations and also, continuously monitor the Phivolcs bulletin for posible augmentation of forces in case the situation escalates,” he said.

Vice Admiral Artemio Abu, meanwhile, said the PCG is already at the heightened alert status of PCG and had activated JTG Taal. He likewise assured Duterte that the coast guard is already aware of actions to take citing their “experience factor” after the volcano’s eruption in 2020.

At least 1,123 temporary shelters are ready for occupancy of around 5,615 rescued individuals, the National Housing Authority (NHA) said.

National Housing Authority chief Eduardo del Rosario reported the temporary shelters are located in the towns of Iban and Talisay in Batangas and Tiaong and Sariaya in Quezon province.

The department established three major evacuation centers in three municipalities surrounding Taal but are considered safe zones, he said. These are the municipalities of Mataas na Kahoy, Sta. Teresita and Alitagtag.

“I will go there tomorrow for the inauguration and turnover of the evacuation center to the LGU (local government unit) para if ever magka-Alert Level 4 magamit agad,” he said.

The evacuation centers adhere to the standards which includes separate facilities for male and women and conjugal rooms.

The Department of Public Works and Highways, for its part, will assist in the evacuation efforts and clearing operations of national roads. 

It also re-established its command centers strategically placed around Taal and mandated its personnel to ensure that national roads are passable and identify alternative roads for response operations.

Concerned district regional offices are also required to submit situation reports every six hours which contains the name and location of the affected road sections if there are any, the situation of the affected major road section, actions are taken, preliminary cost estimate to repair or restore the damaged sections and remarks indicating whether or not the damaged section is open to all types of vehicles.

While there are still no reported damages to their respective sectors, the Department of Agriculture, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Energy and Department of Environment and Natural Resources assured the President they are ready to take action if Taal erupts.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa said the agency allocated P7 million for quick intervention to the 5,561 affected fisherfolk and fishermen which includes 1,401 bags of seeds, 500 kilograms of glutinous corn, 250 kilograms of various seedlings and 1.5M tilapia fingerlings.

In case of a destructive eruption, the DA is also ready to give out P200M-worth of cash subsidies or ayuda coming from their quick response fund. This is on top of the existing P500 million budget for the fuel discount program and P900 million financial assistance to rice farmers.

Undersecretary Felix William Fuentabella, meanwhile, said the Energy sector has issued guidelines to ensure gasoline stations have ample supply in case there is a need to mobilize.

Acting Secretary Jim Sampluna, for his part, assured air quality in Tagaytay and its neighboring areas are still safe for the public.

DICT Acting Secretary Emmanuel Rey Caintic said it is prepared to deploy mobile emergency vehicles in areas needing government emergency communications systems in the event there would be disruption in the network signals in the affected areas.

Free Wi-fi connection will also be put up in evacuation sites including Balangon Elementary School and Agoncillo Municipal Hall where some of the evacuated residents are already staying.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology  (Phivolcs) raised the alert status of Taal from Alert Level 2 (increasing unrest) to Alert Level 3 (magmatic unrest) over the weekend after its main crater  "generated a short-lived phreatomagmatic burst”.

This was "followed by nearly continuous phreatomagmatic activity that generated plumes 1500 m accompanied by volcanic earthquake and infrasound signals.

A total of four volcanic tremor events were observed in Taal Volcano in the past 24 hours, the Phivolcs said on Wednesday.

More than 5,800 people have been evacuated from their homes due to the volcano's unrest, the Batangas Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said Tuesday.—LDF, GMA News