Lacson: Making fun of Taal’s deadly crater amid evacuation efforts is not funny

Senator Panfilo Lacson on Friday said cracking jokes about Taal Volcano’s “deadly” crater while residents near the area are evacuating is not funny.

“While people are panicking and serious evacuation work is ongoing in some Cavite and Batangas municipalities threatened by the eruption of Taal volcano, making fun of its deadly crater is not funny,” Lacson said in a tweet.

While people are panicking and serious evacuation work is ongoing in some Cavite and Batangas municipalities threatened by the eruption of Taal volcano, making fun of its deadly crater is not funny.

— PING LACSON (@iampinglacson) July 2, 2021

In a radio interview, Lacson further pointed out that assurance, instead of a joke, is a more appropriate statement that should come from the President.

“Dapat may assurance na ‘wag kayong mag-alala dahil ang gobyerno nandiyan para tulungan kayo kung ano man ‘yung mangyari sa Taal pero to make fun or make light of the situation there, parang sa tingin ko ‘di nararapat na manggaling sa bibig ng isang pangulo,” he said.

(There should be an assurance that the government is ready to respond to any situation that might happen in Taal, but to make fun or make light of the situation there, I think it is not appropriate especially if it will come from a president’s mouth.)

On Thursday afternoon, President Rodrigo Duterte joked about putting a cap on Taal Volcano after it had a brief eruption on Thursday afternoon.

“Siguro lagyan ko lang ng cap... iyong butas...itong Taal na 'yan,” Duterte said at a press conference during the inauguration of LRT 2 East Extension Project.

Still, Duterte assured the public that the Department of Social Welfare and Development had prepositioned goods and other relief aid for any eventuality related to Taal’s activity.

A total of 1,282 individuals or 317 families are staying in evacuation centers on Friday after Taal Volcano erupted on Thursday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said early Friday.

This number is expected to balloon to as many as 14,495 people or 3,523 families due to the risk of the volcano’s ongoing activity.

The  Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology on Friday morning maintained Alert  Level 3 over Taal Volcano. — Hana Bordey/RSJ, GMA News