The local government of Albay will no longer allow around 2,700 residents back in the 6-kilometer danger zone around Mayon Volcano. In an interview Monday on ANC's Dateline Philippines, Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said evacuees who have had to stay in schools serving as evacuation centers will have to be relocated permanently. “They're in transition right now. Lots have been provided for all of them, houses just need to be built. This is what we aim to do, to relocate them all.,” Salceda said. Thousands have begun returning home beyond the 6-km danger zone, after the Philippine Institute for Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) last Saturday lowered its alert level on Mayon from 4 to 3. Salceda admitted though that many of the remaining evacuees object to the relocation or even to remaining in evacuation centers longer than others. “They're more comfortable in their own homes. There's a lot they're unable to do in evacuation centers.,” Salceda added. Still, he said their priority when rehabilitation efforts begin is to relocate the more than 2,700 individuals living in the permanent danger zone. - ABS
