P25.6M worth of assistance distributed to residents affected by Mayon unrest – OCD

At least P25.6 million worth of assistance from the government, private groups, and non-governmental organizations has been provided to residents affected by the Mayon Volcano’s unrest, according to the Office of Civil Defense on Tuesday. 

Of this amount, the OCD said it has distributed P9.2 million worth of tarpaulin rolls, N95 face masks, family food packs, hygiene kits, pelican cases, and a portable water filtration unit. 

The agency also sent a water filtration truck to Albay and is set to provide 3,200 rice sacks worth P4 million for the affected communities.

Nearly 14,000 individuals have been evacuated due to the volcano’s unrest. 

“We will continue to provide necessary support from the national government to the affected local government units. Our coordination with OCD regional offices is continuous as we closely monitor the situation,” Civil Defense Administrator and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Executive Director, Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said.

“We have reminded our counterparts and the LGUs to implement precautionary measures aggressively to ensure the safety of the residents. We also ask the residents to always follow authorities’ warnings and advisories,” he added.

Mayon, which has been under Alert Level 3 since June 8, began to spew lava on Sunday night, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).

The agency recorded one volcanic earthquake, 221 rockfall events, and one pyroclastic density current event in the past 24 hours, it said in its 5 a.m. update on Tuesday.

It had also spotted a “very slow effusion of lava from the summit crater.”

PHIVOLCS reminded the communities of possible hazards such as rock falls or landslides, ballistic fragments, lava flows, pyroclastic density currents, moderate-sized explosions, and lahars during heavy or prolonged rainfall.