Clowns, actors needed in Albay evacuation centers

More than food stuff, clowns and even celebrities are needed in evacuation centers to boost the holiday spirits of the families forced to temporarily take shelter there following the recent activities of Mayon Volcano in Albay province. This was according to Albay Governor Joey Salceda, who said the evacuees need "stress debriefers" more than food donations. "Ang mas kailangan po namin kahit mga clowns, artista, mga stress debriefers. Hindi ko kailangan ngayon ng bigas (What we need now are clowns, actors, stress debriefers. We don’t need rice these days)," Salceda said in a radio interview Tuesday. An estimated 45,000 villagers – all of them living within the eight-kilometer danger zone around Mayon Volcano – were displaced after authorities raised the alert level in the area to 4 last week. State volcanologists predict of an imminent eruption. [See: Mayon activity escalates; lava fountains rise above crater] The provincial governor feared the displaced families would have to stay in the evacuation centers for a maximum of 92 days, depending on the activities of the volcano in the next few days.

Interviewed by dzMM radio, Salceda, who is also provincial disaster coordinating council chairman, said he has already declared Legazpi City an "open city" to allow for a freer movement of assistance in the area. Under such declaration, organizations wishing to extend assistance to affected families can move in and out of the city for their relief operations without permission from the local government. "If you want to help the local government units, directly you can do it without any help from the LGU. If you want to go to [evacuation] camps, you can go directly," he said. Psychosocial care But above anything else, Salceda said the evacuees need a boost in their spirits, noting that frustration is starting to seep in among many of them. "Ang kailangan po ng Albay ay psychosocial care . . . Ang kailangan namin hindi relief, kailangan ma-affirm ang kanilang sakrispisyo ay nakakabuti hindi lang sa kanila kundi sa buong bayan," he said. (The people of Albay need psycho-social care. More than relief goods, the people need an affirmation that their move to abandon their homes would not only benefit them but the entire country.) He said more than "material things," the evacuees need to be engaged in group activities like prayer meetings and guidance counseling to fight off boredom and depression while staying in schools that had been turned into evacuation centers. "[Being in evacuation centers for so long is] really frustrating and they will get bored and they will probably go back to the danger zone," Salceda said in justifying his decision to declare an open city. The governor said members of the local police officers have been regularly staging concerts for the evacuees. Even military forces would dress up in costumes just to cheer up the affected residents. To further uplift the spirits of his constituents, Salceda said he was offering P100,000 to any community in the province that would be having a zero casualty in case Mayon erupts. [See: Albay residents who refuse to leave may need to sign waiver] Christmas The Army's 901st Infantry Brigade and the local government, meanwhile, have started distributing Christmas presents to the evacuees at the San Roque Elementary School, one of the schools that were turned into evacuation centers. Donning Santa hats, the soldiers distributed rice, noodles, tents, mats, blankets, and clean drinking water to the grateful evacuees. Mats and blankets were among the priority items, as evacuees had been worried about sleeping on the cold concrete floor of the school. Children lined up for toys and ice cream. Elsa, one of the evacuees, became emotional when she thought of spending Christmas away from her husband, who is forced to guard their house in Barangay Mabinit in Legazpi City. Despite this, she said she was glad to be with her children even if they had to stay at the evacuation center. "Tuloy pa rin. Ang importante sama-sama kaming lahat. Kahit kaunting pagkain, okay na yun [Life goes on. What is important is that we are together]," she said, cradling her baby on her lap. The joint task force also provided free calls for evacuees to be able to communicate with their loved ones who are far away. Salceda said the holidays could still be merry even if the evacuees are away from home. - with Carmela Lapeña/KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV