The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has observed steam-rich plumes that rose three kilometers over the main crater of Taal Volcano in the past 24 hours.
“High levels of volcanic sulfur dioxide or SO2 gas emissions and steam-rich plumes that rose as much as 3,000 meters high before drifting south and east were generated from the Taal main crater,” Phivolcs said in its volcano bulletin on Tuesday.
In the past 24 hours, Phivolcs also recorded 39 volcanic earthquakes, including two volcanic tremor events having durations of three to five minutes, 35 low-frequency volcanic earthquakes, two hybrid earthquakes and low-level background tremor that has persisted since April 8.
Phivolcs said that Taal Volcano remains on Alert Level 3 due to continuous “magmatic unrest.”
“At Alert Level 3, magma extruding from the Main Crater could drive an explosive eruption,” Phivolcs said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, through the National Housing Authority, has readied 950 housing units for families affected by the restive activities of Taal Volcano in Batangas.
Secretary Eduardo del Rosario said there were currently 950 housing units in the towns of Sariaya and Tiaong both in Quezon province, being offered by the NHA.
“These housing units are readily available to serve as temporary or permanent shelters for those affected by the Taal volcano eruption,” he said.
“The Office of Civil Defense, (and) the Department of Interior and Local Government, as well as the NHA, have already inspected the housing units and they can be utilized whenever the need arises,” he added.
At the same time, Agriculture Secretary William Dar assured Taal Lake fisherfolk, Batangas farmers and their families that the Department of Agriculture was ready to extend assistance in the event the Taal Volcano would erupt again.
"As always, we are proactive and have laid out immediate action plans and strategies for fisherfolk and farm families in lakeshore areas and adjoining barangays that may be affected," he said.
Del Rosario announced that the Social Housing Finance Corp., another attached key shelter agency of DHSUD, would provide assistance to families within affected areas through its community mortgage program.
“The government, through DHSUD, is always ready to provide necessary assistance to families affected by disasters. It is part of the department’s mandate to help relocate and provide decent housing to those impacted by calamities,” he said.
Jann Roby Otero, Regional 4A director, said that in coordination with his NHA counterpart, they had started preparation for the provision of temporary electricity and water supply in the Sariaya and
Tiaong sites just in case they would be utilized.
The profiling of houses and intended beneficiary families are under way. Prior to the latest eruption of Taal Volcano, DHSUD has been actively engaging local government units affected by the January 2020 eruption, Del Rosario said.
The volcano erupted last year on January 12, displacing thousands of families and causing P3.4 billion worth of damage to infrastructure, and agriculture, fishery and livestock sector in Batangas, Laguna and Cavite, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
“Our ‘OneDA’ family in Calabarzon, led by the Regional Field Office and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, is ready to provide technical assistance and distribute agri-fishery and livestock interventions in areas that may be affected. However, we hope and pray that we would not experience a second massive eruption," Dar said.
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region 4A director Sammy Malvas said 6,375 cage structures for milkfish and tilapia production, owned and maintained by 5,100 fishers may be directly affected in the event of a massive eruption.
Taal Lake, he said, has an average tilapia production of around 60,100 metric tons, over the last 5 years, of which 40 percent or about 24,000 metric tons is transported and supplied in Metro Manila.
“Consumption of fish from Taal Lake is safe, but it must be confined to those that are fresh and caught alive. Fish must also be washed thoroughly, internal organs removed, and cooked properly,” he added.
Given this assurance, Dar said that there should be no price increase in fishes. The average prices of tilapia and bangus are stable at P120 and P160 per kilo, respectively.
“We have more than enough catch from Taal lake and other areas. We ask the traders not to take advantage of the situation. They should be part of the solution in providing sufficient food at affordable prices to our consumers,” Dar said.
In the event of an eruption, BFAR proposes a P282-million budget for immediate assistance, and rehabilitation and recovery initiatives. Part of it would be spent on social and environmental assessment for water quality monitoring and analysis; food safety assurance to look into the environmental effects of volcanic ash to water quality and fishes; and information campaign and dissemination.