LEGAZPI CITY–The Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (Apsemo) has ordered the decampment of evacuees still staying in different evacuation centers in Albay.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has lowered on Tuesday Mayon Volcano’s alert level from four (hazardous eruption imminent) to three (decreased tendency towards hazardous eruption).
Cedric Daep, chief of Apsemo, said Albay Governor Al Francis Bichara signed the order directing local disaster councils in the towns of Guinobatan, Camalig, Daraga, Bacacay, Malilipot, Sto. Domingo and the
cities of Ligao, LEgazpi and Tabaco, to start decampment of thousands of evacuees living in the 7 to 8-kilometer extended danger zone radius.
He said 14,520 families (54,657 persons) housed in various evacuation centers were allowed to go home, while about 2,665 families (10,836 persons) would still remain in their respective evacuation centers
until Phivolcs lowers the alert level to 2.
The evacuees who would be staying in the evacuation centers are those living within the 6-km radius permanent danger zone, covering 11 villages in the towns of Daraga, Camalig, Malilipot, Guinobatan and
Tabaco City, Daep said.
He added that as a standard practice, the decampment procedure is approved by Phivolcs, “based on the level of unrest the volcano has exhibited.”