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Albay governor seeks mayors' coordination on Mayon evacuation

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Lava flows from Mayon Volcano at night on June 15, 2023. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/06/17/20230615-mayon-lava-flow-jc-2.jpg"/><figcaption>Lava flows from Mayon Volcano at night on June 15, 2023. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA — The governor of Albay said he hoped mayors in his province would coordinate with him before evacuating their residents who live outside of the 6-kilometer danger zone around the Mayon volcano.This, after the mayors of Guinobatan and Sto. Domingo moved their residents to safety due to Mayon&#x27;s continued unrest. Speaking to TeleRadyo, Governor Edcel Greco “Grex” Lagman said he believed mayors would know best when it comes to helping their constituents.“I give them the benefit of the doubt. Sila po yung nakakaalam ng mga conditions doon, baka naman po sa assessment nila may mga rason kung bakit kailangan nila mag-evacuate. Doon for example sa Sto. Domingo hanggang 8 kilometers. Eh ang sabi po ng ating science, dapat hanggang 6 kilometers lang,” he said.(They know best for their constituents, they know what the conditions are. Maybe in their assessment, there is a need to evacuate, even if, for example, in Sto. Domingo, they are 8km away so they are outside the danger zone.)“So I hope na si Mayor Chino [Garcia] at ai Mayor Jun Aguas ay makipag-usap po sa atin para malaman natin because as the PDRRMC chairperson, ‘pag may ganito pong pangyayari, meron tayong power na mag-issue po ng decampment pero I don’t want to go there.”“Ayaw po natin yun dahil gusto po muna nating bigyan ng due process ng ating mga mayors, na mga kaibigan naman po natin, perhaps they have compelling reasons na talagang gawin yung ginawa nila,” he explained.(I hope the mayors will speak with us because as provincial disaster chief, I can order a decampment. But I don&#x27;t want to go there. I want to give our mayors, who are also our friends, due process. They may have compelling reasons for doing what they did.)<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2687456" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>For his part, Guinobatan Mayor Paul Chino Garcia said he evacuated his constituents from the two barangays which could be in danger should a violent volcanic eruption take place. “High risk yung 2 barangay napapalamanan o napapagitnaan po ito ng dalawang gully or main channel ng Mt. Mayon na may mga factors po na malalagay sila sa peligro,” he noted. “Number one, pagka may mga malalakas na pag-uulan, and ang isa pong factor pa is pag mag-major eruption, eh number 1 po sila maapektuhan and mahirap po sila i-transport going to evacuation center,” he said.(The 2 barangays are between 2 gullies of the Mayon Volcano. If a major eruption happens, we might have a hard time transporting them to a nearby evacuation center.)Garcia also noted that barangay officials and residents asked to be evacuated after they heard the rumbling of the volcano and saw ash on their plants and cars.He also said that he has scheduled a meeting with Lagman to discuss how help could be given to their evacuees.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/19/23/mayon-displaces-20000-people-628-seek-medical-help">Mayon displaces 20,000 people; 628 seek medical consultation</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/06/19/23/tubig-palikuran-problema-ng-ilang-evacuation-centers-sa-albay">Tubig, palikuran pangunahing problema ng ilang evacuation centers sa Albay</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/06/19/23/mga-nagkakasakit-sa-mayon-evacuation-center-binabantayan">Mga nagkakasakit sa Mayon evacuation center binabantayan</a></li></ul>Mayon, about 330 kilometers southeast of the capital Manila, is considered one of the most volatile of the country&#x27;s 24 active volcanoes.In early June, a 5-step alert system for the volcano had been raised from 2 to 3 after Mayon spewed ash and toxic gas.Five years ago, Mayon displaced tens of thousands of people after it erupted.Mayon lies in a region also hit by many of the roughly 20 typhoons or tropical storms to strike the Philippines each year. The frequent weather disasters often kill people, ravage farms, and help to keep millions poor. — With a report from Agence France-Presse

The governor of Albay said he hoped mayors in his province would coordinate with him before evacuating residents living around the Mayon volcano.