DSWD Bicol braces for Mt. Bulusan unrest

Department of Social Welfare and Development on Monday said its Field Office-5 (Bicol Region) has started prepositioning Family Food Packs (FFPs) and non-food relief items in areas that may be affected by the rising alert level of Mount Bulusan in Sorsogon.

DSWD Field Office-5 Regional Director Norman Laurio reported that he also inspected the evacuation center in Juban, Sorsogon to ensure that the facility is ready to cater to families residing within the 6-km danger zone that will be affected by the Mount Bulusan unrest.

A total of 4,500 FFPs, 500 hygiene kits, and 500 sleeping kits have been prepositioned in the municipalities of Bulusan, Juban, Irosin, Bulan, and Barcelona in Sorsogon.

With its proximity to Mt. Bulusan, the town of Juban is usually the first municipality to be affected by volcanic activity. Barangay Puting Sapa, one of the communities in Juban which lies within the danger zone has some 257 residents.

Applying the strategies used in the Mayon Operations for Disaster Preparation, the FO-5 already started to coordinate with the local government units (LGUs) of Sorsogon, Irosin, and Bulusan as well as other nearby municipalities for all the necessary response and support needed by the LGUs should a pre-emptive evacuation be undertaken.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) raised Alert Level 1 over Mount Bulusan in Sorsogon on Wednesday (October 25) after the volcano entered "a period of low-level unrest."

Meanwhile, 9,110 FFPs are available for distribution in the DSWD Regional Warehouse in Matnog, while an additional 4,600 FFPs are stockpiled in the Provincial Local Government Unit (PLGU) of Sorsogon.

The DSWD FO-5 is consistently monitoring the situation on the ground to immediately assist affected LGUs, if the need arises.