Gov’t fast-tracking Mayon response

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Monday said government agencies are accelerating road-clearing operations to restore the flow of goods and people in and out of affected communities in Albay amid Mayon volcano’s unrest.

“Now we are working on opening all the thoroughfares so that everyone who needs to enter can get in and everyone who needs to leave can get out, and I think we’ll be able to say that the thoroughfares will be open, maybe by today, as long as it doesn’t erupt again,” he told reporters in mixed English and Filipino.

Earlier efforts focused on evacuating residents from high-risk zones and delivering medical assistance, steps the government said helped contain health risks.

Mount Mayon, the most active volcano in the Philippines, is under Alert Level 3, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology on Monday, which means there is intensified unrest or magmatic unrest after increased volcanic activity.

At least 30,522 families or 102,406 individuals have been affected, and 1,438 families evacuated across Albay due to Mayon’s continued unrest, according to the Office of Civil Defense on Monday. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana