The Albay provincial government has allowed the decampment of evacuees in the Municipalities of Sto. Domingo and Guinobatan following the discussion of Albay Governor Atty. Grex Lagman with Sto. Domingo Mayor Jun Aguas and Guinobatan Mayor Chino Garcia on Tuesday.
Lagman earlier questioned the evacuation order of the local chief executives of Sto. Domingo and Guinobatan — two towns which are not included in the 6-kilometer radius Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) of Mayon Volcano.
Based on the discussions among the three officials, the municipality of Guinobatan, particularly the barangays of Maninila and Tandarora, will not be lifting the evacuation order due to the high risk of lahars.
On the other hand, the decision whether evacuees from Sto. Domingo will return to their homes is up to them.
Currently, around four barangays or approximately 30% of the evacuees in the town have already returned to their residences.
It was also agreed that those who have returned to their homes will still be considered as evacuees. This means they will continue to receive assistance and relief aid from the government.
Meanwhile, Mayor Jun Aguas assured that they will establish pick-up points in barangays for immediate evacuation if the status of Mayon Volcano is elevated beyond Alert Level 4.
