PBBM, Cabinet aid, check on conditions of Mayon evacuees
IN a bid to bring hope and support to the people affected by the restive Mayon Volcano, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., along with members of his Cabinet, visited Albay on Wednesday to personally check on the condition of evacuees and extend direct assistance to them.
Accompanying Marcos were Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos, Jr., Special Assistant to the President Secretary Anton Lagdameo, National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, and other officials from the different national government agencies.
Marcos, Abalos, and the other officials went to the evacuation center at Guinobatan Community College where United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ambassador, His Excellency Mohamed Obaid joined them in handing out relief packs to affected residents.
The President also led a joint Regional and Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils situation briefing where he tasked national government agencies and local government units (LGUs) to provide the necessities of the evacuees in evacuation centers.
“Kung may pangangailangan kayo, sabihin ninyo sa amin. Nandito si Mayor, nandito si Governor, nandito ang DSWD, nandito ang DILG, nandito silang lahat at nandiyan lang sila para alalayan kayo,” he said.
Meanwhile, Abalos urged the local chief executives of Albay to continue working closely with concerned national government agencies, the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and remain on alert to respond to any eventuality.
“Let us all stay on our toes. Maging handa at listo tayo sa anumang puwedeng mangyari para masiguro ang kaligtasan ng ating mga kababayan,” the DILG Chief said.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology hoisted an Alert Level 3 on Mayon Volcano last Monday, signifying a relatively high level of unrest, with magma at the crater and hazardous eruption possible within days.
