Some residents in Laurel, Batangas refuse to evacuate amid Taal Volcano unrest

Despite the local government's call for residents in high-risk barangays in Laurel, Batangas to evacuate following the eruption of Taal Volcano, some residents chose to stay put in their homes.

The residents staying in three high-risk barangays who refused to evacuate said they are used to the volcano's activities and are thus not alarmed, according to 24 Oras News Alert on Saturday.

Others said they were concerned about the possibility of getting COVID-19 at evacuation centers.

Still others said they would rather stay home and take care of their farm animals.

The local government assured the residents that they are enforcing physical distancing at evacuation centers.

Philippine National Police chief Police General Guillermo Eleazar also ordered police units to ensure minimum health protocols are observed in temporary shelters.

At least 2,429 individuals have evacuated from their homes in Batangas due to the recent Taal Volcano eruption, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office chief said Saturday afternoon.

Most of the evacuees are from the municipalities of Agoncillo and Laurel.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) on Saturday maintained Alert Level 3 over Taal Volcano after recording 48 volcanic earthquakes since 5 a.m. yesterday.

In its daily bulletin, PHIVOLCS said it monitored high-level activities of the volcano including three phreatomagmatic eruptions since Friday morning.

Taal Volcano erupted on Thursday, giving rise to a kilometer-high phreatomagmatic plume at past 3 p.m. that day. —KG, GMA News