Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 12) – The Albay provincial government has allocated ₱5 million to buy vegetables to be distributed to evacuees, Albay Gov. Edcel Greco Lagman said Monday.
“We will be buying vegetables from our local farmers to be used for distribution doon sa ating mga [in our] evacuation centers. We will be buying them at farm gate prices,” Lagman told reporters.
Interior Sec. Benjamin Abalos also said the Department of the Interior and Local Government will meet with the Office of the President and other agencies, including the Office of Civil Defense, to talk about the assistance that will be given to farmers.
Lagman added that the Albay government is planning to distribute cash assistance to farmers through the Department of Agriculture.
According to Albay Provincial Information Office, some 5,000 farmers were affected by the continuous unrest in Mayon.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) earlier clarified that the alert over Mayon Volcano has not yet been raised to level 4.
However, the Albay government is preparing to evacuate residents within the 7-kilometer radius extended danger zone.
READ: Albay readies evacuation for extended danger zone
On Thursday, the status of Mayon Volcano was raised to Alert Level 3, which means there is high unrest and an increased tendency toward hazardous eruption, and a potential explosive activity can occur within weeks or even days.
