OCD eyeing ways to permanently ban settlement in volcanoes’ 6-km danger zone

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) is studying possible ways to ban settlements within the six-kilometer danger zones of active volcanoes.

At the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, OCD Administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said the recurring problem of evacuating people living within the danger zones during a volcano’s unrest, such as Mayon, needs “more permanent, more sustainable, and long-term solution.”

“Titignan ng OCD para proactively di na paulit ulit ang problema kasi ganun na lang eh,” the OCD chief said.

Nepomuceno noted that people should never be allowed to make settlements within the six-kilometer danger zone of volcanoes in the first place.

The OCD chief said he ordered research to determine if there are existing legislations or local ordinances that can be implemented to permanently relocate those living within the danger zones.

“Kung wala naman titignan natin sa Kongreso… Halimbawa, pwede ba na ideklara na national park na lang ‘yan para bawal na talaga [tirhan],” Nepomuceno said.

On Thursday, Albay Governor Edcel Greco Lagman said they are now looking at possibly permanently relocating residents living within the six-kilometer radius of Mayon Volcano’s Permanent Danger Zone.

Mayon Volcano in Albay continued to show intensified unrest in the past 24 hours, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said.

From 5 a.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday, the agency said Mayon Volcano had "very slow effusion of lava flow" which ran to as much as 1.5 kilometers.

Almost 20,000 residents have been evacuated as Mayon Volcano remains under Alert Level 3, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council announced Friday.

The Department of Trade and Industry, meanwhile, has imposed a price freeze on basic goods in Albay as the province was placed under a state of calamity due to Mayon Volcano's unrest. —VAL, GMA Integrated News