TO CHECK the condition of residents affected by the Taal Volcano unrest in southern Luzon, Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella is scheduled to meet with Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas on Thursday morning, Jan. 23, 2020.

Labella, the League of Cities of the Philippines national chairman, said he would be accompanied by Harold Alcontin, head of the city’s disaster office.

“We have to find out what kind of help we can extend, to avoid wastage of public funds,” Labella said. “If we just give without determining first what kind of assistance and how much assistance we could provide, we might just be wasting the resources of the City.”

Taal Volcano erupted last Jan. 12, spewing ash that blanketed several towns in Batangas province and turning agricultural areas into fields of gray.

As of Tuesday, Jan. 21, Mandanas said the number of evacuees displaced by Taal Volcano’s eruption had reached one million. Labella said the volcano’s unrest has affected Batangas’ economy.

“In behalf of the people of the City of Cebu, we extend our sympathies to the Province of Batangas, especially the areas affected by the spewing of ash of Taal Volcano,” he said.

Labella and his team will check on Thursday the extent of damage suffered by the local government units (LGU) in Batangas.

The Cebu City Government’s assistance to these LGUs could be in monetary form, he said. (PAC, KAL)