Mandatory evacuation ordered at Taal’s Pulo

BY AARON RECUENCO

The Provincial Government of Batangas has ordered the mandatory evacuation of residents who started to return to the Volcano Island, which was already declared as “No Man’s Land” after the hazardous eruption of the Taal Volcano in January last year.

Kat Buted, spokesperson of the Provincial Government of Batangas, clarified that the order for evacuation is an enforcement of the existing order ensuring that the Volcano Island, locally referred to as Pulo, would no longer be inhabited.

“They are now prohibited to live there because that area was already declared as a danger zone even for Alert Level 1,” Buted said.

Taal Volcano is currently under Alert Level 1, which means that abnormal activity of the volcano continues and that sudden steam-driven or phreatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall, and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas can occur and threaten areas any time.

Following the Taal Volcano eruption last year that covered the entire Volcano Island with ashes and volcanic materials, Gov. Hermilando Mandanas has initiated housing and livelihood programs to discourage local residents from returning to their homes.

But despite the warning and the offer of housing and livelihood, some residents opted to return to Volcano Island, which local officials said, is in violation of the existing order for the entire Volcano Island.

It is not immediately clear how many people are due for mandatory evacuation. The Office of Civil Defense, for its part, said that those who would be forcibly evacuated are from two sub-villages under the town of Talisay. “The evacuation is ongoing. This order is for precautionary measures done in line with the recent activities of the Taal Volcano. But we have to clarify that there is no ongoing eruption or threat of immediate eruption from the volcano,” the OCD said in a statement.