The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported that it has expedited the distribution of protective masks as part of preparedness measures for communities affected by the recent ashfall of Mayon volcano.

“We made this [distribution] faster. Our commitment to [Albay] Governor [Noel Rosal] is that we will immediately release these 160,000 N95 masks, and also 10 million surgical masks,” OCD Bicol Regional Director Bernardo Fortes Jr. said in a PNA interview on Wednesday.

“This is not the ultimate protection. The first level, or additional protection is that we should still be careful,” he added.

Fortes, however, noted primary affected areas in recent Mayon volcano activity including Guinobatan, Camalig, and Ligao City while light ashfall recorded in Tabaco City and municipalities of Bacacay, Sto. Domingo and Malilipot.

Meanwhile, Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO) Head Oscar Robert Cristobal revealed that authorities determined the allocation of millions of protective face masks based on the population and land areas affected.

“We assessed the population and land area of each municipality and city, and that is where we based the distribution of the face masks provided by the OCD”, he said.