While the situation at Taal
Volcano, which began erupting two Sundays ago, remains rather stable despite
the ongoing venting and the forecast warnings of an upcoming violent and
explosive eruption. Still, the damage has been done in seeing farmland,
vegetation and communities being blanketed in thick volcanic ash, residents
displaced from their homes and at risk of health problems from airborne
particles. While the government, public and private sectors do their best in
getting relief to the evacuees, the Congress of the Philippines has decided to
take steps towards being closer to the disaster area and voices of the
displaced.
Inquirer.net reports that the Philippine House of Representatives opened
their Wednesday, January 22 session at the Batangas City Convention Center, just
to the south of Taal Lake and the same-named complex volcano island that has
caused a lot of trouble in Batangas and neighboring provinces with its ongoing
eruption period. The decision to move the House session to Batangas was voted
on by the lawmakers and spearheaded by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, who also
opened the business of the day. The venue was also convenient as the Batangas
City Convention Center was not far from a primary evacuation center of victims of
the Taal eruption.
During deliberations earlier this
week, Speaker Cayetano was quick to assure that the House holding session in Batangas
which is under a state of calamity, was no publicity stunt that would disrupt
evacuation and relief operations in the area. Rather, it is a symbolic gesture
that will also put the legislators within easy reach of the victims of Taal,
who might have petitions on how best to weather the grave disaster that has
befallen them.
At present, Taal Volcano is still
under Alert Level 4 of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
(PHIVOLCS) which denotes the possibility of a violent eruption with
pyrotechnics and lava, anytime within several days or weeks. Already leaders of
the House of Representatives are in solidarity with President Rodrigo Duterte
and his proposal that a supplemental P30-billion budget be expedited as
additional calamity funding to address the Taal eruption.
“We promise that the Congress
will be relevant, responsive and reliable and the session is the highest form
of congregation,” remarked Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano upon opening of the
House session in Batangas City this Wednesday morning. “The plenary is supreme
in Congress.”
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