Palace exec urges public to take precautions amid Taal vog, activities

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Assistant Secretary Joey Villarama on Tuesday called on the public to exercise precautionary measures amid the vog observed from Taal Volcano.

"Ginagawa naman po ng gobyerno ang lahat para hindi po maging malaki 'yung impact nitong pag-alboroto ng Taal," Villarama told Palace reporters.

(The government is exhausting all measures so that the impact of Taal Volcano's activities will not be huge.)

"So, kaya mag-ingat po tayo and obviously nandiyaan din po 'yung coordination din ng mga government agencies kasi kung kailangan po lumikas 'yung mga affected inhabitants and residences po in the vicinity or 'yung nasasaklaw po ng Taal Volcano," he added.

(So, let us be careful and obviously, the coordination of government agencies for the affected inhabitants and residences was there.)

Vog or volcanic smog from Taal Volcano has been observed in the past 24 hours, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said on Monday.

According to PHIVOLCS, vog is composed of sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas and other volcanic gases which mix with atmospheric oxygen, moisture, dust, and sunlight.

Classes in some areas in Calabarzon were suspended on Monday due to the vog.

As of Monday, Taal's vog has reached more than 30 cities and towns in Batangas and the nearby province of Occidental Mindoro.

Alert Level 1 has been maintained over Taal Volcano in Batangas, which means there is low-level unrest.

In its latest bulletin, PHIVOLCS said Taal has emitted 3,355 tons of sulfur dioxide per day, based on its August 15 monitoring.

Upwelling of hot volcanic fluids near the main crater lake was also observed.

Taal's plume rose 2,600 meters and drifted northwest. — VDV, GMA Integrated News