Creation of rehab, resettlement program for eruption-hit areas urged

The creation of a rehabilitation and resettlement program for areas and residents affected by the Taal Volcano eruption should be the main focus now that the alert level has been lowered, a senator said on Monday.

Senators Francis Tolentino and Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa filed Senate Resolution 297 urging the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and other relevant agencies to craft a “sustainable Taal Volcano resettlement and rehabilitation program.”

Tolentino noted that Republic Act 11201, which created the DHSUD, mandates the agency to “formulate a framework for resilient housing and human settlements as a basis for the mechanisms for post-disaster housing and resiliency planning… to protect vulnerable communities from the adverse effects of climate change and disasters.”

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, over 394,000 people were affected by the Taal Volcano’s phreatic eruption last January 12, some 137,000 of whom are taking temporary shelter in evacuation centers.

The alert level over the volcano was lowered from Level 4 (hazardous eruption imminent) to Level 3 (decreased tendency towards hazardous eruption) on Sunday morning. — Julia Mari Ornedo/BM, GMA News