LEGAZPI CITY -- To help the city government here address the huge task of evacuating thousands of residents in times of calamities, six senators have pledged a PHP60-million fund for building multi-purpose permanent evacuation camps in this city.
Senators Joseph Victor Ejercito, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Juan Edgardo Angara, Joel Villanueva and Nancy Binay flew to Albay to personally hand over relief goods to families displaced by Mayon eruption and made the pledge before the public hearing for the Universal Health Care bill here recently.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is included in the PHP60-million pledge although he was not able to join the five lawmakers who came to Legazpi for the hearing. Each of the senators is giving PHP10 for the planned projects.
Senator Ejercito, in an interview, said there is a need to build permanent evacuation centers to be used in times of calamities when families need to be brought in for refuge and safety.
“We need permanent evacuation centers here. We in the Senate commit for the establishment of multi-purpose evacuation centers as the most model in the country,” he said.
Zubiri, on the other hand, said: “We will help Mayor Noel Rosal to establish the permanent evacuation centers here. Your six young senators Edgardo Angara, Joseph Ejercito, Joel Villanueva, Win Gatchalian, Nancy Binay will be giving PHP10 million each for evacuation shelters. According to Mayor Rosal, he already purchased a lot but his concern is the budget for structure so we’re committing PHP60 million”.
The move was lauded by Mayon evacuees housed temporarily at Albay Central School for almost two months now.
Rosal expressed his gratitude to the lawmakers for their efforts and commitment to provide help for the establishment of permanent multi-purpose evacuation centers in Legazpi.
Ejercito also gave a PHP1-million aid for Mayon evacuees aside from relief goods and PHP10-million commitment to the city government.
Currently, there are 17,186 families or 65,493 persons temporarily staying in evacuation camps in three cities and six municipalities for safety.
Among the three cities affected by Mayon Volcano's eruptive activities, Legazpi has the highest number of evacuees with 3,053 families equivalent to 11,648 people followed by Tabaco with 1,900 families or 7,541 people and Ligao City with 946 families or 4,005 people.
Among the six affected municipalities, Sto. Domingo has the highest number of evacuees with 2,941 families equivalent to 11,235 people; Guinobatan 2,764 families or 9,305 people; Camalig, 2,266 families or 8,554 people; Daraga, 1,828 families or 7,461 people; Malilipot, 1,349 families or 5,238 people and Bacacay, 139 families or 506 individuals.
Mt. Mayon remains under Alert Level 4 as continuous eruption is taking place since last January 13.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission is still abnormal and the edifice is continuously bulging.
The public is strongly advised to be vigilant and desist from entering the eight (8) kilometer-radius danger zone, and to be additionally vigilant against pyroclastic density currents, lahars and sediment-laden stream flows along channels draining the edifice. (PNA)
