More than 80,000 displaced by Taal: Marine commander

January 15, 2020

Displaced persons due to the volcanic activity of Taal reached more than 80, 000, the commander of Joint Task Group Taal said on Wednesday.

Brig. Gen. Marceliano Teofilo, Taal Task Group Commander said being served inside evacuation centers  are 18,664 families or  82,068 individuals.

Teofilo said authorities are continuously evacuating residents from 14 km danger zone.

"There are people who are still there, because there are problems on looting, the typical experience in  previous disasters," he said.

"It depends in the area, but the total maybe less than a thousand or hundreds, because some were returning after being evacuated," he added.

Teofilo said the problem of looting is being addressed by the Philippine National Police (PNP) who patrols the area.

He added that although the government prioritizes  evacuation of people in the area, they also assist residents in evacuating small pets and animals within the danger zone. Robina Asido/DMS