Teaching tents planned for students displaced by Mayon unrest

The Albay local government plans to install "teaching tents" for students forced out of schools due to the Mayon Volcano unrest, Jessie Cruzat of GMA Regional TV Balitang Bicolandia reported on "24 Oras."

"Ang gusto natin hindi maantala ang pag-aaral ng mga bata so kailangan talaga na ma-absorb sila sa schools na nagpa-function or kung sa evacuation centers, may mga teaching tents tayong ibibigay," Albay Governor Edcel Greco Lagman said.

Albay Provincial Public Safety and Emergency Management Office officer-in-charge Eugene Escobar added, “Yung mga nasa loob po ng evacuation center, alam ko mahirap, naiintidihan po namin kayo at ginagawa din po namin ang aming makakaya para at least, maibsan ‘yung hirap na nararanasan,” said 

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said 17,216 people or 4,813 families have been staying in 25 evacuation centers, while 725 people or 200 families were seeking shelters outside of evacuation centers.

The LGU will also add modular or makeshift tents to reduce the crowding of evacuees. In Malilipot, Albay, some had to build makeshift shelters outside classrooms used as evacuation centers.

Under Alert Level 3, Mayon Volcano has affected 37,682 individuals or 9,167 families in 26 barangays in Albay province.

Albay Governor Grex Lagman said the local government is studying the permanent relocation of residents in the six-kilometer permanent danger zone.

Meanwhile, at least 35 individuals in Albay who evacuated have reported experiencing respiratory problems, such as cough, colds, and sore throat, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

DOH, however, clarified that these cases are "not verified as adverse effects" of the sulfur dioxide and ashfall emitted by the active volcano.

As of Thursday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) recorded two volcanic earthquakes, 306 rockfall events, and three pyroclastic density current events in Mayon Volcano.—Sherylin Untalan/LDF, GMA Integrated News