Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman and Senator Richard Gordon said they are serving 20,000 people in evacuation centers.
Davao City also sent out 5,000 food packs which local officials hope would arrive by Friday. Task Force Davao Commander Colonel Consolito Yecla said they are focusing on providing aid to the towns of Sto. Tomas, Tanauan and Calaca.
Gordon said PRC is focusing on providing hot meals and water supply to the evacuees. Red Cross volunteers are also offering psychosocial support to traumatized victims.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 13) — Government agencies and private companies have initiated relief efforts to aid residents affected by ashfall from Taal volcano’s eruption, officials said Monday.
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Chairman Delfin Lorenzana said there have been food supplies coming in from the Social Welfare Department to feed thousands of evacuees.
“Palagay ko naman hindi magkaka-shortage [I think there will not be a shortage]. We have some supplies and food items to be given to these evacuees…[Department of Social Welfare and Development], they have already disturbuted mga food items,” he said in a press briefing.
The Batangas local government said about 16,000 residents from the danger zone have fled their homes and moved to evacuation centers such as those in Bauan, San Pascual, Padre Garcia and Lipa. The province is now under a state of calamity. The most affected towns are Talisay, Laurel, Agoncillo and San Nicolas.
Taal started rumbling and belching ash plumes on Sunday in a steam-driven eruption. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has since raised the alert for Taal to level 4 which means a “hazardous eruption” is possible within days or hours. On Monday, the volcano had a magmatic eruption, spewing a “weak” lava fountain for an hour and a half.
Lorenzana said there are 10,751 affected persons in their list that are seen to evacuate ashfall-stricken areas namely Batangas (all 24 municipalities) and Cavite province, including Tagaytay City. There are currently four helicopters on standby to evacuate more people, he added. Provincial disaster management officials said there are 45 evacuation centers in Batangas that can accommodate the evacuees.
The National Food Authority also assured there are enough rice stocks in the affected areas. For Region 4 about 1,930,000 bags of rice are available while Metro Manila has 197,000 bags and Region 3 has 1,963,000 bags. Some NFA employees are also working in its central and field offices and warehouses to aid local government units and agencies. NFA Administrator Judy Dansal assured that the rice is properly stored in warehouses and is safe for consumption.
The Ayala Group of Companies has also started deploying 30 water tankers from concessionaire Manila Water to evacuation centers in Batangas and 2,000 five-gallon units of bottled water on Monday. Ayala Malls Solenad and Ayala Malls Nuvali also opened its cinema building ground floor to customers that need shelter and charging stations.
However, Lorenzana said there is a need for more face masks. He said the Department of Trade and Industry is monitoring price hikes in stores that sell the masks.
The Bicol Regional Police Command has sent at least two and a half boxes of N95 masks — the recommended face mask to prevent inhaling particles of ash. These will be transported by bus to officers on the field in Calabarzon.
Aside from masks, an augmentation team of 193 personnel composed of Search and Rescue, Security Force and Disaster Incident Management Task Group will be sent out upon call or order. These teams have been trained and skilled in disaster and incident management in past emergencies in the Bicol region. The Bicol region experienced a similar ashfall event when Mayon volcano erupted in 2018.
The Communist Party of the Philippines has also instructed revolutionary mass organizations and civic organizations to assist affected families.
Digital Producer Janine Peralta and Albay-based journalist Rosas Olarte contributed to this report.
“We will have to put minders in the evacuation centers so that they can check if somebody is in trouble and they can immediately react to them,” he told CNN Philippines.
He added that some ambulances equipped with defibrillators and oxygen tanks are also available. Gordon also ordered for toilets for the evacuees to use and said he is seeing if there is a need for a big tent with additional beds. Among the ailments observed from the victims were respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses as well as children suffering from asthma and allergies.
Gordon said they are distributing 2,000 masks to evacuees and ordered 20,000 more. However, he urged those from provinces other than Batangas to buy masks for themselves.
“It’s not only just in Batangas, if this happened some more, Cavite, Tagaytay, Manila will be affected and people should help themselves acquire masks,” he said.
The N95 mask — the recommended mask to prevent inhaling tiny ash particles — has been sold out in most retail stores. The PRC suggested to wear surgical masks with layers of tissue underneath or use damp towels as an alternative.
