Marcos: Nonstop aid for Mayon PBBM vows provision for 39k evacuees and counting; Alert Level 3 stays

By Vince Lopez and Rio N. Araja

AMID concerns that evacuees may be in for a long wait before they can return to their homes near the restive Mayon Volcano, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday night assured those affected by its eruption that the government would provide them nonstop assistance.

"We went to visit our compatriots in Bicol who were affected by the eruption of the Mayon Volcano. What we found there is that our evacuees are in good condition--at least they have been given a place and they are being given help,” the President said in a YouTube message.

"It might take a while, they will be evacuated for several months until the Mayon Volcano eruption stops, so we are preparing well that even if it takes time, the government is ready to give help to those who have been evacuated within a six-kilometer radius of the volcano,” he added.

On Sunday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said nearly 39,000 people have been affected by Mayon’s unrest, with more than half of them seeking shelter in evacuation centers

At least six cities and towns have also suspended classes, the council said. Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno reported to the President during a briefing on Wednesday that 9,571 families from 26 barangays have been affected by the volcano’s eruption, and 4,471 of these families are in evacuation centers.

Nepomuceno said P35 million worth of assistance has been provided by the

The Philippine Coast Guard and volunteers try to douse the blaze on the roll-on, roll-off vessel MV Esperanza Star that caught on fire in the vicinity of waters off Panglao, Bohol on Sunday. All passengers and crew were rescued, the PCG said. Coast Guard photos