This picture taken on July 1 shows an eruption from the main crater of the Taal Volcano, which sits in a picturesque lake in Batangas province. (Photo: AFP)
Priests have joined calls for people living near the Taal Volcano in Batangas province, south of Manila, not to return to their homes following reports that it is continuing to spew ash.
Around 6,000 residents who live within a 7-kilometer “danger zone” remain displaced after the volcano began spewing ash and sulfur dioxide on July 1. Authorities fear this could be the prelude to a major eruption.
“Stay in your respective evacuation sites for your own safety,” Father Elmer Garido of Legaspi Diocese in the Bicol region said on July 5.
Authorities said the volcano was spewing an average of 22,628 tons of ash and sulfur dioxide gas per day, the highest such emissions ever recorded.
The emissions reached up to 3,000 meters or 3 kilometers high, covering much of the southern and eastern parts of Batangas province with ash.
It prompted an appeal by Lipa Archdiocese, which covers Batangas province, to issue an appeal for more N95 masks.
I am calling on our parishes and chaplaincies to offer Masses and prayer intentions for the safety and protection of our people in those areas
The Archdiocesan Social Action Commission (LASAC) said it has 5,000 masks but more were needed.
It said the archdiocese has already provided residents of the towns of Agoncillo and Laurel with some of their stocks.
“We are still in need of more. Our people need help,” the bishops’ conference website quoted LASAC as saying.
Bishop Patricio Buzon of Bacolod called on churchgoers to unite behind those displaced
“I am calling on our parishes and chaplaincies to offer Masses and prayer intentions for the safety and protection of our people in those areas,” Bishop Buzon told Radio Veritas.
Taal last erupted on Jan. 12, 2020, killing 39 people and forcing more than 376,000 to flee their homes.
