Amid the increasing seismic activities in Taal Volcano, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) assured the public that its Field Office (FO)-CALABARZON is ready to provide the needed assistance in any eventuality, an agency official said on Monday (July 7).
Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) said the disaster response teams both in the Central Office and FO – CALABARZON are actively monitoring the situation in coordination with concerned local government units (LGUs) and other national government agencies.
“This is among our initial response as soon as the PHIVOLCS (Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology) warned of a possible Taal volcano eruption. Mapa-preparation or post-disaster response man ‘yan, we make sure that our lines with LGUs are always active dahil sila na nga rin po ang first-line of disaster responders sa kani-kanilang area of jurisdiction,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao, who is also the DSWD’s spokesperson, said.
On Sunday (July 6), the PHIVOLCS warned that the Taal eruption may be triggered due to the increase in real-time seismic energy measurement (RSAM) and the low level of emission of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the volcano since June.
“We do not wish for the eruption to occur, but we are making sure that we are well-capacitated in case it happens. Gaya nga po ng laging ine-emphasize ng ating Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr, the government should be quick and omnipresent before, during, and after any type of disaster or emergency,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao pointed out.
In the DSWD FO-CALABARZON alone, there are 207,408 boxes of family food packs (FFPs) and 13,178 non-food items (NFIs) already prepositioned in various storage facilities. The NFIs consist of hygiene, kitchen, sleeping, and family clothing kits.
Asst. Secretary Dumlao said the Disaster Response Management Bureau’s (DRMB) Quick Response Team (QRT) members, along with emergency equipment, are on standby and ready for immediate deployment, if needed.
The National Resource and Logistics Management Bureau (NRLMB) also ensures the continuous replenishment and availability of FNIs for resource augmentation to DSWD FOs, as necessary, according to the DSWD spokesperson.
“Sa kabila ng kaliwa’t-kanang relief efforts natin sa iba’t-ibang panig ng bansa na apektado ng mga active weather systems, hindi bumababa ang family food packs (FFPs) natin nationwide under 3 million. Sa ilalim ng direktiba ni Secretary Rex Gatchalian, tuluy-tuloy ang pag-poproduce at pagre-replenish natin sa mga production hubs natin,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao said.
Asst. Secretary Dumlao also reminded residents living near Lake Taal to remain vigilant and alert on the possible eruption and to cooperate with their respective LGUs to ensure their safety. (LSJ)