President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. convened a situation briefing with top government agencies on Wednesday, May 6, to evaluate the fallout from Mayon Volcano’s recent activity and directed the swift deployment of relief to families struck by severe ashfall in Albay.
According to a statement released by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), the Chief Executive gathered officials from multiple departments to streamline emergency response efforts and guarantee an uninterrupted supply of aid to the stricken communities.
The volcanic disruption began on May 2, when Mayon unleashed a dense ash plume that blanketed adjacent municipalities and paralyzed daily routines, forcing state agencies to scale up their relief and rescue operations.
The government highlighted that a comprehensive array of interventions is already underway, encompassing food pack distribution, medical care, clearing of ash and debris, evacuation camp management, clean water supply, site assessments, and the deployment of Starlink communication terminals to restore connectivity in isolated zones.
Earlier in the week, Marcos comforted affected citizens by reaffirming that the administration is fully equipped and ready to sustain the needs of the displaced populations.
The high-level briefing saw attendance from key representatives of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Health (DOH), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Department of Agriculture (DA).
Leaders from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Office of the Executive Secretary (OES), and the PCO were also present to map out the ongoing disaster response.