vor-. xxxtv tlo.

ia+' voruonilnruuARY 27, 2m0' 5

PHILIPPINE STAR

news MONDAY I JANUARY 27,2O2O

Taal lockdo
partly lifted
Alert level r' respeitive places one of them' Annabel En-
residences or
of ivork" Mandanas slid in riOuez, said they had b€en
televised news briefing in wiiting atthe checkpoint
lowered to 3 auu'fil5t.uoo*n u'frr" n
since

was lifted *ut clean our home,"

BvEMMANUEL ruPAs
;rxifi? 'hTii'l.'r. Mavor Danier
l1*lli,iTi;"ttiT;
Evacuees, some ofwhom Mataasnakahoy, -Sa n-Nicolas, Reye,s, whose,towt ",tn^'i.,:l
had waited as early as the Sta' Teresita, Taal, Talisay and lockdown said he diJective'
would aotoe
crack of dawn for an end . Tanauan City . ' bv fhe eovemor's
to the rockdown, rushed
back to their horne.s yes- ""tj;.::n:','::*;il''j;,J1*L$:#:f,"J?",ilfl;
;; : :;;-in;;;;;t,, oi]h" ltfti,ig oith" ro"kaoiun
terday after the Philippine ;;G; ;;;;;;. J".r.i"a, i*a"., ,"yi"E i" rihpino, "I am

ll'.-t-;j#"S',ffi :[:iffJii"-'.*"*i4;;-[:*-:f*:;t3*:,Tfi
*' :
u,du,,u,, howeve4, reed*reiranimals."
i:T,"i:1*:?**lTiij "1.i- }ii{.*flFj$;
10 towns and rwo cities. #![li5;r:lf*ru#rt'i
whle the iockdow,' *us ;p;;tth" i.Aa.'l.';;;. ",nn:{
lifted the possibility of ahaz- He leaves the final decision ffi1.1'J;li'i:Tj#Y.;:
as
-a'*"*1iti'"r'"ai"ai',"a, o.a"i-frc-""iuti."i.r.*i *::j3,"Tht"['ff"d[];
authorities stressed that Taal's govemment officials. ,_.r^_ L^ .^r,rrnad ro areas
"unresthasnotceased." Hesaidthatthemavors ;:il;.1fi;l'r:J;ih"l;;k-
Batangas Gov Hermilando have the prerogative to allow
Mandanis allowed resident. tii"i. tr g; i"Jiq" o"Hl"r. however, said they
"."r'ut"".:t"based on their
of most of the towns to return their barangays
to their homes. :|ii #;ilil; the situi-
area assessment. "*
"Resi{ents of all towns In Lemery hundreds of resi-
under lockdown except Ag- dents onboard vehicles rushed ill'xr
PAq€ Pu " )
oncillo and Laurel now have to the town after local police
the option to return to their allowed them entry past9a.m.
v Atr^outc NE1|dJuQr)
 . basesurge- aground-hugging ground displacement across Brig. Gen. Marceliano Teo- animals still trapped on Taal
Taal FromPasel lateral iruption - muil be Fissures-oi cracks on the filo, chief of staff of the army's
prepal€d for a quick and or- ground, frequent ashfall and 2nd Infantry Division and
Island.
In a letter dated yesterday,
tion of one of their barangays, ganized evacuatibn.
- "Conversely, should thereminor eailhquakes. commander 203rd brigade, PETA senior vice president oI
Maria Paz, within the seven Communities beside river created "Task Force Taal" intemational campaigns Jasonl
kilometer danger zone. be a persisteni downtrend in channels, particularly wherc ash which would lead local gov- Baker senf a]etter to Mandanasl
News of the lowered alert moniiored parameters after a from the inaln etuitio" phase ernment agencies in thi re- st;tins that while the alert
level qame from a press con- sufficient observation period, had been thickly deposited, habilitation of Laurel and Ievel rin Taal Island has been
ference held at the Provincial the alert will be furth6r 1ow- should likewise increase vigi- Agoncillo towns. lowered to 3, they should still
Disaster Risk Reduction and er€d to level Z" it said. lance when tlere is heavy and Spe4ker Alan Peter Cay- send help to the animalS that
Management Council opera- Phivolcs said earthquakes prclonged rainfall since the ash etano said ils about tirne the remain on the island.
tion center in Batangas City, recorded by the Philippine can be washed away and form national govemment step uP He also offered PETA's
where Phivolcs resident vol- Seismic Neiwork acroid the lahar (mudIlow) along the chan- its efforts in helping victims willingness to assist in the
canologist Paolo Reniva read Taal region declined from 959 nq1s, the agenry said. . of both natural and manmade logistics in the rescue op-
the two-page Department to 2ZbetweenJan.lZand2(. Civil aviation authorities disasters, and focus more eration, since they have wide-]
of Science and Technology- Sulfur dioxide, or SO, should advise Pilots to avoid on -long-term rehabilitation, spread and firsthand knowl-
Phivolcs notice, to the delight emissions, dropped {rom d ftying close to the volcano rather than pour its entire edge about the area and the
of mayors and other officials in high of 5,300 ions on Jan; 13 ai aiiborne ash and ballistic resources on the standard re- location of horses.
the meeting. toa low of 140 tons on Jan. fragments from sudden ex- sponse and relie{ efforts, citing Gratitude to UAE ]

"Taal Volcano's condition 22. SO^ js a maior qas compo- plosions and wind-remobi- the need to pass at tfie soonest
iized ash may pose hazards, time possibie the bill creating The Philippines conveyed
in the two weeks following nunt of -ug-1. its $atitude to the United Arab
'.the Jan. 12 2020 phreatomag- The agency eontinued to Phivolcs said. the Department of Disaster
Emirates for their assistancq
matic eruption has gener- remind the public that at Alert Despite the downgrading Resilience.
ally declined into less frequent Level 3, sudden steam-driven of the ilert level Malacaflang Meanwhile, the Deparknent
with the victims of the Taal
volcanic earthquatre activity, and even weak phreatom.ag- said the government would of Trade and Industry (DTI) eruption and continued sup-
port of the country.
decelerated ground deforma. matic explosiois, uolcahfc not lowerits guard andwould has filed charges agiinst 18 I

tion of the Taal Caldera and earthquakes, ashfall and lelhal continue to prepare for a pos- retail establishments for the Philippine Arnbassadoi
Taal Volcano Island edifices volcanic gas expulsions could sible hazardous volcanic erup- unfair and unconscionable
to the l,Jnited Arab EmirateC
and weak steam/ gas emis- still occur and threaten areas tion. selling of overpriced N95 face Hlayceelyn Quintana recently
sions at the main crate4" the within volcano island and "The government will not masks, surgical masks and met with secretary-generaJ
notice said. nearby lakeshores. be lying low. We will remain other similar products. of the Emirates Red Cr€sceni
"Alert Level 3 means that Phivolcs also continued to on our toes when it comes to Trade Secretary Ramon (ERC) Dr. Muhammad Atic
there is a decreased tendency prohibit entry into the vol- the risks for the sake of our Lopez said bach of the erring
Al-Falahi and officials at the
Emirates Red Crcscent Head-
towards hazardous explosive cano island permanent danger countrymen. We are always establishments faces an ad-
quarters in Abu Dhabi.
eruption but should not be zone, as well as areas over Taal, ready. Our position has been ministrative penalty of up to
Du ri ng the meeting,
interpreted that unrest has Lake and communities west to discourage people from P300,000.
ceased or that the tfueat of a of the wolcano within a seven- rcturning to their homes and Should corsumers find re- Quintana and Al-Falahi
hazardous eruption has disap- kilometer radius from t}te main their woikplaces because the tailers selling overpriced lace discussed ways by'which
peared," the agency added. crater. risk is still there," presidential masks, DTI said they could call ERC can become an importantL
. If anuptendorpronounced It also advised local gov- spokesman Salvador Panelo the Consumer Care hotline at conduit for UAE residents,l
c-hanges in monitored param- emment units to assess areas said in a radio interview yes- 1-DTI (1-384) or send an email including Filipinos, to send
eters forewarn a potential outside the seven-kilometer tffday. to consumercare@dti.goa.ph. donations and assistance
hazardous explosive eruptioo radius,for damage and road Focus on Animal lescue to the Philippines in times
;G;ing --
accessibility,andtostrensthen of natural disasters. - With
Phivolcs said the alert mighi be
raised back to level 4. preparedness, contingency and refriliiilition Arnell Ozaeta, Helen Flores,
iorimunication meisuies "
With the lowering of the The People for the Eihical
in Alexis Romero, Ed Amoroso,
Stay cautious case of renewed urrest. alert level, the military and Trcatrnent of Animals (PETA) Louella Desiderio, Pia Lee-]
Phivolcs said people who Residents were advised police now shift their focus to yesterday asked Mandanas to Brago, Evelyn Macairan,]
rehrm to areds at high risk of a to olserve prgcaution due to ihe rehabilitation Process. iaunch i rescue operation for Delon Porcalla
\l +erkruds NaDsY ls-)