Duterte wants to inspect Taal evacuation hubs

MANILA – President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Tuesday said he wanted to personally visit evacuation centers in Batangas after Alert Level 3 was raised amid the unrest of the Taal Volcano.

In a prerecorded Talk to the People, he said he wanted to inspect the evacuation centers built by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to see if he could provide additional assistance to evacuees.

“The place ‘yung evacuation center mo, Ed, pati ‘yung sa iyo sa ‘yung sa DPWH na ano. Gusto kong tingnan at I may have something assistance rin, added assistance to — sa inyo. Pero gusto kong tingnan (Your evacuation center Ed, even the ones built by DPWH. I want to inspect and I may have additional assistance for you),” he said, addressing DHSUD Secretary Eduardo del Rosario.

Duterte said he wanted to spend his last few months in the office ensuring that funds were spent for the needs of Filipinos.

“Whatever is there remaining para sa akin (for me) which I can, ibuhos ko na lang (I will spend on) evacuation centers,” he added.

Meanwhile, Duterte reminded his officials to ensure that evacuation centers have separate restrooms for men and women.

“We do not have the luxury of giving everybody what they want, but I want that the itong mga banyo ng babae pati lalaki is entirely (the bathrooms of women and men to be entirely separate)— and there must be a good structure,” he said.

Malacañang has yet to release a schedule for Duterte’s supposed visit to Taal evacuation centers.

Duterte is expected to attend a meeting with members of the National Joint Task Force- Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict Meeting in Lapu-Lapu City Cebu on Thursday.

He will also be attending the campaign rally of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), which he chairs.

To date, there are 19 evacuation centers sheltering 1,166 families or 4,039 persons.

While those outside evacuation centers are around 484 families or 1,886 individuals.

The total number of affected families is placed at 1,823 or equivalent to 6,568 persons.

On Saturday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised Taal Volcano’s status to Alert Level 3 after its phreatomagmatic eruption.

Alert Level 3 means there is magmatic unrest within the volcano. (With reports from Priam Nepomuceno/PNA).