Duterte to visit residents affected by restive Mayon

Mayon volcano spews red -hot lava in another eruption as seen from Legazpi city, Albay province, roughly 200 miles (340 kilometers) southeast of Manila, Philippines, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018. Mayon has spewed fountains of red-hot lava and massive ash plumes anew in a dazzling but increasingly dangerous eruption that has sent 56,000 villagers fleeing to evacuation centers. AP/Bullit Marquez

NEW DELHI — President Rodrigo Duterte will visit the residents affected by the rumbling Mayon Volcano after attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – India Commemorative Summit here.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque could not say when exactly the visit would be saying it would depend on the conditions in Legazpi City.

“I'm not at liberty to set the date but there's a tentative date set already for the president to go to Legazpi,” Roque said in a press briefing Thursday here.

“There is a plan but — May plano po pero siyempre everything is subject to whether or not it is actually possible to go to Bicol by air to begin with,” he added.

The eruption has displaced more than 15,000 families or about 59,000 persons.

READ: Lava fountains shoot from Mayon, over 40000 people flee

Roque said the government continues to provide assistance to families affected by the volcanic eruption. He said almost P29 million worth of assistance has been provided by state agencies and non-government organizations.

The Social Welfare department prepositioned two tents at the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital for the possible influx of patients. The Social Welfare and Education departments will also build a temporary shelter for evacuees to allow students to use school buildings.

READ: Church sets up soup kitchen, donation drive for Mayon evacuees

“They're now in the process of coordinating so instead of building temporary learning facilities, they will build temporary relocation sites for the evacuees so that the children can go back to school in areas outside of the eight-kilometer danger zone,” Roque said.

The Department of Agriculture has prepared 475 bags of hybrid corn seeds and 10 bags of corn grits for distribution at the affected areas.

READ: Mocha Uson sorry for saying Mayon in Naga

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