KORONADAL CITY — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Central Mindanao pitched in to help lessen the effects of Taal Volcano’s eruption by sending relief supplies Tuesday for families in Batangas province.

Cezario Joel Espejo, DSWD-12 regional director, said the agency will be sending within the day around 3,400 boxes of family food packs for thousands of affected families that fled from ash-blanketed villages and crammed into hundreds of emergency centers in Batangas.

According to Dir. Espejo, once the loading of the food items into two trucks is done at the warehouse in nearby Tantangan town, it will go straight to San Fernando Airbase located in Lipa City in Batangas for the delivery to the counterparts.  

“Despite the fact that we are experiencing tough times, we are in a time where we are reminded of the common humanity that we all share,” Dir. Espejo said. 

“With the unimaginable traces of  destruction, we are standing with the people of Batangas and those who were affected by the eruption,” he added.

Since the eruption last week, the 311-meter Taal Volcano, one of the world’s smallest but the second-most restive of about two dozen active Philippine volcanoes, has remained at alert level 4, meaning a hazardous explosive eruption may happen within hours or days. (JBM / DSWD)