President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the withdrawal of the military and some policemen in areas greatly devastated by the Taal Volcano eruption and just allow the local government units using their respective police forces to man those places.

In a speech during the 69th founding anniversary celebration of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Quezon City on Wednesday, Duterte noted that there were hard-headed residents insisting to enter the danger zone.

"You want to jump to the cauldron of fire or lava, go ahead, make it short," he said.

Instead of placing the military and the policemen get into trouble, he said he would just withdraw them.

"You know, the soldiers as well as the policemen have been there for a long time. And they have been trying or they are acting as the bar so that people cannot go back to their lands and places because it’s dangerous...we can only do so much," he said.

He said if the people would insist on entering the prohibited places and "the government enforcement guy bars him and he has to do it physically, the physical contact can sometimes result in an ugly situation."

He said when conflict arises, "it is always the government man who is the guilty culprit."

Duterte also raised concern on the health of the soldiers and policemen who have been in areas greatly affected by the ashfall.

"They have been there for so many weeks already. Their lungs are already filled with ash," he said.

"I will tell the Army to withdraw. They are also human beings and they suffer. And when they suffer, they have also families to worry as just as much the guys are worried there," Duterte said.

He said it would be up to the local chief executives and police to man those critical areas.

"I’d leave it to the mayor and to the police. Those policemen who are really assigned there. There’s a police station there...I’d leave it to them to enforce the law as mandated by the authorities," he said.

Since the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology lowered the alert status of Taal Volcano to Level 3 last Sunday, residents have been allowed to return to their homes, except those from Agoncillo, Laurel and Taal Volcano Island. Celerina Monte/DMS