Hundreds of thousands of family food packs and specialized emergency items have been readied for distribution to nearby communities following a phreatomagmatic eruption at Mayon Volcano that triggered a higher alert level in Albay.
Disaster mitigation protocols were activated after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) recorded a moderately explosive eruption at 11:53 a.m. Friday, prompting an immediate escalation from Alert Level 2 to Alert Level 3.
To ensure rapid support in the event of evacuations or ashfall hazards, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) confirmed that 417,886 family food packs, 14,137 ready-to-eat food boxes, and 28,366 packs of non-food items are already prepositioned within the Bicol region.
“Nakahanda ang DSWD na magbigay ng agarang tulong sa mga pamilyang maaaring maapektuhan ng pagputok ng Bulkang Mayon nitong Biyernes,” DSWD said.
Social welfare authorities highlighted that distribution networks remain actively managed alongside provincial and municipal disaster management offices to maintain continuous supply chains.
“Nananatili rin ang monitoring at mahigpit na koordinasyon ng ahensya sa mga lokal na pamahalaan para matiyak ang mabilis na paghahatid ng kinakailangang tulong,” DSWD also said.
Disaster response teams continue to observe volcanic activity while coordinating closely with municipal units for potential relief operations in vulnerable zones surrounding the volcano.