Cebu City stands in solidarity with Taal victims — Labella

CEBU, Philippines —  Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella has visited the province of Batangas yesterday to convey solidarity with and assistance for victims of the Taal Volcano eruption.

The City Council has expressed its support to Labella’s visit, where he also met with Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas.

To ensure that the support of the city will be responsive to the urgent necessities of the evacuees in Batangas, the mayor brought with him City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) OIC-Head Harold Alcontin and Quick Response Team (QRT) Operations chief Rolito Gerald Flordelis.

They were assigned to conduct a Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis.

Taal Volcano had a phreatic eruption from its main crater on January 12, 2020 discharging ash to CALABARZON, Metro Manila, and some parts of Central Luzon and Ilocos Region.

With the massive mandatory evacuation within the 14-kilometer radius from the volcano, evacuation centers are filled with evacuees running away from their homes with limited resources to support them for an uncertain period of time due to the volatile volcanic activity of Taal.

Mandanas announced that the number of evacuees from the Taal Volcano eruption has reached to one million as of Tuesday, January 21.

Two women staying at evacuation centers in San Pascual, Batangas for Taal Volcano victims have died of health problems.

The casualties were identified as Felina de Roxas, 57, of Barangay Bangin in San Nicolas, and Violeta Reyes, 84, of Barangay Sambat in San Pascual, both in Batangas province.

Rowena Dalangin of the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office based in San Pascual said De Roxas died at the Saint Pascal de Baylon Hospital due to sudden cardiac arrest with acute myocardial and uncontrolled hypertension.

On the other hand, Reyes, a bedridden patient, died of tuberculosis in the house of Ma. Concepcion Macatangay in Barangay Sambat on January 20.

The casualties were among the thousands of people housed at evacuation centers in Batangas following Taal Volcano’s eruption.

Because of the current activity of Taal Volcano, normal socio-economic activity in the areas affected by the explosion were disrupted as manifested by current suspension of classes, compulsory closure of business activities, deterioration of public infrastructure, and damage to agriculture and fisheries amounting to P3.17 billion.  KQD (FREEMAN)