'Treat Taal survivors with dignity': Donors told to give only usable clothes

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MANILA — Donors should treat the survivors of the Taal volcano's eruption with dignity by being mindful of the clothes they would give, a disaster management group said.

The volcano, which sits in the center of a lake south of the capital, belched a giant ash column last Jan. 12 that sent tens of thousands to evacuation centers. Photos of evacuees wearing donated school and work uniforms, and clothes with tears have since made rounds online.

"To those who are donating, please donate clothes that other people can still use... Let us treat the survivors with dignity," the Citizens' Disaster Response Center said on Facebook.

The group also urged those accepting and distributing donations to sort the clothes carefully and ensure that these are appropriate for evacuees.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development discourages the donation of used clothes to disaster survivors "to safeguard the health of the people and maintain the dignity of the nation," according to an administrative order.

The second-highest alert in a 5-step system remains hoisted over the volcano, which means "hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours to days," state seismologists said.

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