'We’re always ready to help when it comes to natural disasters. We will provide what we can,' assures a Palace official
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| Mayon volcano spews a small amount of white smoke as seen from Legaspi City, Albay province, southeast of Manila. Charism Sayat/AFP |
MANILA, Philippines – With the state of calamity declared in some towns and cities in Albay due to Mayon volcano’s increasingly abnormal activities, Malacañang affirmed Saturday, September 27, that the national government is ready to extend financial support to the province.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte, in a radio interview in state-run DZRB radio, said that the national government is looking at how other agencies can help Albay.
“We will consult. We are always ready to help Albay. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) are in the best position to lend assistance because of the prolonged situation of evacuation,” Valte said.
The statement came after Albay Governor Joey Salceda said in an interview that the province’s Quick Response Funds (QRF) are running out due to the prolonged crisis.
The state of calamity was raised in various Albay towns and cities on September 15 after the volcano showed signs of a potential eruption in the coming days. This declaration helps facilitate the release of emergency funds for the situation.
Valte added: “We’re always ready to help when it comes to natural disasters. We will provide what we can. Knowing Governor Salceda, for sure, he has already asked assistance from other Cabinet secretaries.
Assistance given
Salceda said that the national government had already given funds to the provincial government to cover the needs of the evacuated residents. The governor told the Inquirer that some P112 million ($2.5 million*) have been released by the DSWD, the Department of Education (DepEd), and the Department of Health (DOH).
The province’s limited resources, Salceda earlier said, is due to its response and rehabilitation spendings after Typhoon Glenda (Rammasun) ravaged Albay in July 2014.
At least 11,255 families or 51,963 people have been evacuated in Albay since the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) hoisted alert level 3 over Mayon.
Despite a lull in the visible activity of Mayon in the past week, a senior volcanologist from Phivolcs warned that the volcano could be “relaxing before a full-blown eruption.”
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