By AARON RECUENCO
BATANGAS CITY – When news about the lowering of alert level of the Taal Volcano was announced, 66-year old Gloria Marcellana does not know whether to immediately go back to their house in Taal town or remain in the evacuation center here at the Provincial Sports Complex.
She said she missed her house already, the house which she and her husband’s first investment as a married couple more than 25 years ago.
The desire to go back was further triggered when a handful of her fellow evacuees here started to pack up and eventually left.
But a few meters away, she heard her nephew Noriel arguing with some of their neighbors about how unsafe it is to go back.
“I really want to go back but he (Noriel) has a good point. That’s why we decided to remain until we are assured that it is already safe,” Marcellana said.
Marcellana’s decision was shared by almost all of the evacuees here amid confirmation of fissures and damaged houses of their neighbors as a result of the volcanic earthquakes that jolted their town in the past days.
Of the 356 families staying at the Batangas Provincial Sports Complex, only nine of them left as of 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Most of the evacuees here are from Taal town and most of them decided to send the heads of their family first to conduct ocular inspection of their house and their barangays.
While evacuees were given the option to go back, Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas said that they have to face some serious problems if they do so.
First, Mandanas said that residents have to deal with water and electricity supply problems which are set to be fixed first.
Second, Mandanas said that it is unsafe for families with children and elderly since they could be affected by the health hazards of ashes.
And third, some of the houses and structures in the evacuees’ respective communities may not be safe as a result of the quakes.
That is the reason, according to Mandanas, why he wanted the evacuees to stay at the evacuation centers until everything is cleaned up and fixed.
“Our evacuation are still open for them, the distribution of food packs and other basic needs will continue for those who want to remain,” said Mandanas.
Some of the mayors also share the argument of Mandanas.
Talisay Mayor Gerry Natanauan, for instance, decided that he would allow residents to go back to their homes under the condition that they would go back to the evacuation centers at night.
Some of the mayors, for instance, also opted to implement window hours for the residents to return — to clean and fix their houses and feed their animals.
“The possibility of eruption is still there so while we allowed them to return, it would be better for them to remain,” said Mandanas.
