P10 M out for Mayon’s evacuees’ ‘cash for work’

LEGAZPI CITY — The government has released P10 million for the "cash-for-work" post-evacuation program for Albay villagers who had to flee their homes when volcanologists raised the five-step alert status around Mayon Volcano to four last Aug. 7.

The program would benefit over 9,000 families, who each would receive P1,000 for five days of work at evacuation centers and their respective barangays.

Jim Rebustillo, Bicol director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, said the money was channeled to the affected cities and municipalities, which, in turn, would pay the villagers for the work they would render at evacuation centers and their villages.

Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal said evacuees here, particularly those from Barangays Mabinit and Bonga, both located at the foot of Mayon, have started receiving the cash assistance.

Under the cash-for-work scheme, every displaced family which renders five days of work at evacuation centers and their barangays is paid P200 per day or P1,000 for five days.

Earlier, Albay Gov. Fernando Gonzalez ordered the release of P3.7 million to the affected local government units for the rehabilitation of their displaced residents.

Meanwhile, Ed Laguerta, resident volcanologist of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), told The STAR that Mayon’s alert level may further be lowered from three to two next week as the volcano’s abnormal parameters declined further.

"All the detected abnormal signs have practically simmered down already. If we find out on Monday that ground deformation has further decreased, we would decide to further lower Mayon’s alert status," he said.

Laguerta said Mayon’s sulfur dioxide emission, though still way above the normal level of 500 tons per day, will no longer be significant in the absence of any ground deformation.

"Without ground deformation, sulfur dioxide emission would merely indicate degassing and the simmering down of the volcano," he said.

Last Wednesday, an aerial survey confirmed that old channels of Mayon were already filled up and blocked, thus redirecting lava flow.

Volcanologists, however, said this poses no immediate threat to villagers at the foot of Mayon since the lava which the volcano extrudes has a very minimal component that could become lahar during heavy rainfall.

Alert level 3 remains around Mayon as intermittent lava extrusion continues, although only two volcanic earthquakes have been detected in the past 24 hours.  — With Helen Flores