Cavite under state of calamity due to Taal’s eruption

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 15) — The entire province of Cavite is now under a state of calamity due to the eruption of Taal Volcano.

Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla said Wednesday that the province was put under a state of calamity to aid evacuees.

“Para po 'to sa support sa mga evacuees kasi maraming evacuees na napunta sa'min. Para 'to sa pagpapakain sa kanila, et cetera,” Remulla told CNN Philippines.

[Translation: This is for the support for our evacuees because a lot of evacuees came to us. This is for their food and other needs.]

The declaration will allow the local government of Cavite to tap into calamity funds.

Cavite is the second province to declare a state of calamity, following Batangas, where Taal Volcano is located.

As of 6 a.m. Thursday, 53,832 people are taking shelter in 244 evacuation centers in Batangas and Cavite according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. The council also reported that 65,184 people have been affected by the volcano’s eruption.

Taal, which is still closely being monitored by state volcanologists for a possible hazardous eruption, has dealt more than half a billion pesos in agricultural damage. It has also hit tourism in areas near the volcano, particularly in resort town Tagaytay City.

CNN Philippines Researcher Currie Cator contributed to this report.