Mayon: The mounting cost of keeping safe the evacuees

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Peek -a-boo!!: Latrines being restored for use by evacuees at the San Andres resettlement evacuation center of Sto. Domingo, Albay. Courtesy of facebook pageof Gov. Salceda.

After the state volcanology institute Phivolcs raised alert level 3 pertaining to Mayon’s restiveness, the government starts piling millions of pesos in current and projected expenses beginning from the day residents were hauled from the affected areas to the evacuation sites in Albay.

So now, governor Joey Salceda has announced that the provincial government is in need of a total of P600 million to sustain the needs of thousands of families now being kept in evacuation camps.

Evacuee-families numbering approximately 13,000 or 54,000 individuals occupy evacuation camps in response to the alarming behavior that may lead to an eruption by Mayon volcano.

Sustaining the daily needs of displaced evacuees economically would require a total of P600 million should Mayon maintain its restive status for the next 188 days or about six months.

The province already has some P38.6 million in aid from government agencies including the P29-million pledge from the social welfare department (DSWD) and P1.5 million each from the civil defense office (OCD) and the health department (DOH).

The DSWD released during the early stage of relief operations some P5.4 million worth of family kits and food stuffs and also placed families in the evacuation centers under the automatic coverage of conditional cash transfer’s (CCT) Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

Evacuees can avail of the aid worth P1,400 per month and exempted from undergoing the system required of regular 4Ps beneficiaries.

But life in temporary evacuation centers are beset with the scarcity of water supply, lack of toilet facilities, overcrowding, poor ventilation and lighting condition which compound the miserable situation the evacuees are forced to injure.

The provincial health office (PHO) has confirmed nearly 500 cases of illness have plagued evacuees following their 15 days of stay in 45 evacuation centers set up by in seven affected municipalities and cities.

According to provincial health officer Dr. Nathaniel Rempillo, there aree nearly 500 cases of illness among the evacuees following their 15 days of stay in 45 evacuation centers set up in seven affected municipalities and cities. Among the illnesses confirmed include acute respiratory infection, fever, headache, hypertension, skin diseases, diarrhea and asthma.

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One thought on “Mayon: The mounting cost of keeping safe the evacuees”

  1. Just expecting that the millions of funds and resources that come into the coffers of the provincial government or agencies receiving and disbursing the funds can account fully well the expenses afterwards. Are/were the purchases made in the most proper process backed with documentation?

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