QUEZON CITY
— “The Office of Civil
Defense (OCD) CALABARZON, this Friday afternoon, convened the
Regional Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Council (RDDRMC),
with all line agencies, to
coordinate the situation
and the ongoing response
operations relative to volcanic smog or vog from
Taal Volcano. We want to
assure the public especially the affected areas that
the preparedness measures of various government agencies are all in
place. Everything is manageable. Medical resources are available in the region as well as the other
needs. The national government is always ready to
support the Local Government Units and the affected areas.” said Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno,
Civil Defense Administrator and National DRRMC
Executive Director.
As of September
22, a total of 112 smog-related health consultations
were already reported in
CALABARZON.
“We also remind
the public to heed the advisories of the Department
of Health (DOH) as well
as the warnings being issued by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and
Seismology (PHIVOLCS)
for the safety of everyone. PHIVOLCS and the
DOH have been issuing
warnings on the health
hazards posed by the volcanic smog. We are amplifying these advisories and
warnings for public awareness.” Usec. Nepomuceno
added.
In its bulletin
advisory, PHIVOLCS explained that “vog consists
of fine droplets containing volcanic gas such as
SO2 which is acidic and
can cause irritation of the
eyes, throat and respiratory tract with severities
depending on the gas concentrations and durations
of exposure. People who
may be particularly sensitive to vog are those with
health conditions such as
asthma, lung disease and
heart disease, the elderly,
pregnant women and children.”
Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Marcos
Jr., the Secretary of National Defense, Sec. Gilberto Teodoro Jr, OCD
and NDRRMC are closely
monitoring the situation
and coordinating with the
Regional DRRMC and the
PDRRMCs of Batangas,
Cavite, and Laguna for
preparedne
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