Church prelate to Taal villagers: Please evacuate

The head of the Catholic Church’s Lipa Archdiocese on Wednesday asked the residents of villages near the Taal Volcano in Batangas province to voluntarily evacuate from their homes and move to safer grounds. Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles made the call after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised the Taal volcano’s alert level to No. 2. “They should evacuate for their own safety, (although) we cannot force these people if they don’t want to go," Arguelles said in an article posted Wednesday evening on the Union of Catholic Asian News website. Still, the Church prelate said he is confident the situation at Taal Volcano will not affect the observance of the Holy Week. “It might even encourage people to participate more because of what they are going through. Let us not be pessimistic," Arguelles said. Last Saturday, Phivolcs raised the alert level around Taal Volcano to No. 2 following an increase in the number of volcanic quakes and carbon dioxide emissions. Earlier Wednesday, Department of Tourism officials warned tourists not to venture too close to the volcano’s danger zones. Phivolcs had also recorded at least eight volcanic tremors in the last 24 hours.—JE/JV, GMA News