Año: Duterte OK'd recommendation to declare Taal island 'no man's land'

President Rodrigo Duterte approved the recommendation to declare the Taal Volcano Island as "no man's land," days after the volcano erupted with violent vents accompanied by volcanic quakes that signal a bigger, more destructive event to come.  

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Wednesday said Duterte's approval came amid ongoing evacuation efforts in areas hit hardest by Taal's eruption last Sunday.

"Yes, it was approved by PRRD [President Rodrigo Roa Duterte] but it would be gradual until relocation for settlers is prepared," Año told GMA News Online.

During a visit in one of the evacuation centers in Batangas City last Tuesday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana suggested that the Taal Volcano Island should be declared as "no man's island."

"I believed that we should… I strongly believe —recommend that we strictly implement the suggestion or the recommendation that the Taal island will be declared 'no man's land,'" Lorenzana had said.

"Huwag na tayong magpabalik ng tao doon dahil if there will be another explosion na more violent, I think all people there will perish in that island, Sir," he added.

Duterte reminded evacuees who left their residences not to go back yet as the situation is still dangerous.

“Nobody is allowed to go back until such time that you are safe,” the President was quoted as saying.

In a radio interview on Wednesday, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the ban on human settlement on Taal Volcano island should have been implemented in the past.

“Matagal nang dapat na no man’s island ‘yun dahil talagang delikado roon,” Panelo said.

“Matigas lang ang ulo ng mga kababayan natin, dahil gusto din nilang maghanapbuhay saka may mga turista roon. Pero ang katotohanan niyan talagang delikado roon,” he added.

Panelo said the ban is necessary despite its potential negative impact on tourism in the area. “Hindi naman tayo mamamatay kung walang turismo doon. Ang mamamatay ‘yung mga tao sa paligid kapag nagkaroon ng putukan.” 

At present, Alert Level 4 is still raised over Taal Volcano, meaning hazardous eruption is still imminent.

State-run Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said volcanic earthquakes continue in Taal's vicinity, as 159 new quakes were recorded from 5 a.m. on Tuesday to 5 a.m. on Wednesday, noting that 28 of these were felt with intensities ranging from I to III.

Latest data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council shows that over 50,000 people have been affected by Taal's eruption. —with Virgil Lopez/LBG/KG/RSJ, GMA News