Forced evacuation imposed on 5 Batangas barangays due to Taal’s activity —police

Forced evacuation was conducted in five barangays in Batangas amid the ongoing activity of the Taal Volcano, the Police Regional Office 4A (PRO4A) said Friday.

According to PRO4A chief Police Brigadier General Eliseo Cruz, the protocol on provincial level will be followed temporarily in response to the eruption and ongoing activity of the volcano.

He said this was agreed upon during an emergency meeting convened by the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council 4-A. on Thursday.

“In said meeting, the protocol on ‘provincial level’ will be observed temporarily with Batangas Provincial DRRMO as lead office with 5 coastal barangays directed to initiate forced evacuation,” he said.

Two barangays in Agoncillo and three in Laurel will undergo forced evacuation, Cruz said.

Initially, the evacuation was advised only for the “high-risk areas” of Gulod, Buso Buso,  and Lakeshore Bugaan East in Laurel; and  Banyaga and Bilibinwang in Agoncillo.

Among the 13 Batangas barangays affected by Taal’s explosion were Gulod, Buso Buso, Bugaan West, and Bugaan East in Laurel; Subic Ilaya, Banyaga, and Bilibinwang in Agoncillo; Poblacion and Sinturisan in San Nicolas; Apacay in Taal; Luyos and Boot in Tanauan City; and San Sebastian in Balete.

The PRO4A directed the Batangas Provincial Police Office to assist stations in affected areas and ensure security and order in evacuation centers with the observance of public health measures in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Laguna and Cavite PPOs were also directed to discourage non-residents especially tourists of Tagaytay or affected areas from entering “to prevent confusion and ensure orderly management of the incident.”

The will also have to advise volunteers or donors of relief goods to just proceed directly to Batangas Provincial DRRMO hub for proper check-ins.

A total of 1,282 individuals or 317 families are staying in evacuation centers on Friday after Taal Volcano erupted on Thursday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said.

But the number could balloon to as many as 14,495 people or 3,523 families due to the risk of the volcano’s ongoing activity, the NDRRMC pointed out.

A short-lived phreatomagmatic eruption occurred at Taal's main crater on Thursday afternoon and generated a dark grayish plume that rose 1,000 meters.

PHIVOLCS said it was followed by four short phreatomagmatic bursts at 6:26 p.m., 7:21 p.m., 7:41 p.m., and 8:20 p.m. that lasted not longer than two minutes, producing plumes of up to 200 meters above the main crater lake.

As of Friday morning, Alert Level 3 remained over the Taal Volcano, which means magma extruding from the main crater could drive an explosive eruption. —KBK, GMA News