More Calabarzon schools call off classes due to ‘vog’ from Taal
LUCENA CITY — To protect students and teachers from the harmful effects of volcanic smog or “vog” from Taal Volcano, more local governments in the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) region also suspended classes on Tuesday.
Laguna Gov. Ramil Hernandez and Rizal Gov. Rebecca Ynarez announced on Monday afternoon the suspension of classes in public and private schools in their respective provinces due to vog.
Hernandez also encouraged residents “to take precautions, wear face masks, drink plenty of water, and as much as possible, stay indoors or at their workplace.”
“We also advise everyone to avoid going out of the house unless necessary and to wear an N95 mask for protection,” Ynarez said in a post on social media.
In Cavite, all local government units in the province also called off classes on Tuesday, compared with only 13 municipalities in Batangas, the Office of Civil Defense in Calabarzon reported.
In Quezon province, local authorities in Tayabas City and the towns of Candelaria, Dolores, Mauban, Lucban, San Antonio and Alabat likewise ordered the suspension of classes.
On Monday, Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara issued Memorandum No. 46, authorizing affected schools to suspend classes in the absence of an official announcement from local government units.
Phreatic eruption
His memorandum cited recent phreatic or steam-driven eruptions of Taal Volcano and its release of vog. Vog contains acidic droplets of volcanic gas like sulfur dioxide which can irritate the eyes, throat and respiratory tract.
Health authorities warned that people with asthma, lung or heart disease, the elderly, pregnant women and children were especially vulnerable to the effects of vog.
On Tuesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported sodium dioxide emissions of 3,355 metric tons (MT) over the past 24 hours that rose to 2,600 meters above Taal Volcano Island, locally known as “Pulo,” that sits within Taal Lake, before drifting northwest.
The Phivolcs classified the latest spewing activity of the volcano as “voluminous emission.”
State volcanologists also noted the continuous presence of vog which started to appear on Saturday during their monitoring period.
“Let us take care of ourselves, avoid going out frequently, wear a mask, and drink plenty of water,” Mayor Cindy Valenton Reyes of Agoncillo, Batangas, said in a post on social media.
