People in Taal Island were evacuated following some increase in activities in Taal Volcano in Batangas on Monday.

Commodore Armando Balilo, PCG spokesman, said residents were evacuated by personnel of Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine National Police (PNP) Talisay, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Talisay, and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office.

"On or about 11:15 am of Feb. 16, 2021, upon signal from the Municipal Administrator of Talisay, Batangas joint elements of PNP Talisay, MDRRMO and personnel of Coast Guard Batangas onboard five PCG water assets... departed Talisay Fishport enroute to Volcano Island to make advisory, inspection and fetch the people at said area and bring them to safety," he said.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) noted that the government personnel are targeting to evacuate around 63 families or 200 individuals from Sitio Tabla and Sitio San Isidro , Talisay.

"Most of the residents have houses in the mainland while others will be brought to the facility established by the local government unit," it stated.

Balilo said government personnel inspected the Island to conduct additional precautionary measures in the next few days.

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) head Renato Solidum said alert level one has been raised in Taal Volcano. ''The situation is constantly being monitored,'' he told dzBB.

According to the NDRRMC, those who were evacuated are residents from the two sitios of Talisay, Batangas

"We received initial information that there is an ongoing evacuation of residents in Taal Volcano which supposed to be a No Man's Land that is why they need to be evacuated," the NDRRMC stated.

"This order is for precautionary measure done in line with the recent activities of the volcano," it added. Robina Asido/DMS