INTERIOR and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año said on Monday, January 20, that he will order a complete lockdown within Taal Volcano's danger zone and prohibit anyone from entering the area during the designated "window hours".

These "window hours" allow residents to go back to their homes and retrieve personal belongings.

“We allowed LGUs (local government units) to decide to give window hours but depending on the input of the Phivolcs, actually I would provide instruction to the LGUs, 'yung mga nakapagprovide na ng window hours, stop na 'yun... hindi puwedeng araw-araw (that can't be allowed everyday),” Año said.

“Nagbigay lang tayo ng konting humanitarian consideration (We just allowed it for humanitarian consideration). We need to be strict. As I said, hindi natin alam kailan puputok ‘yan (we don't know when that will explode). As long as we have the Alert Level, impose talaga natin ‘yung lockdown at saka mandatory evacuation,” he added.

Alert Level 4, which means a possible hazardous explosive eruption within hours or days, remained hoisted over the volcano on Monday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said in its 8 a.m. advisory.

The volcano has been spewing steam-laden plumes and lava fountains since January 12.

Phivolcs has advised mandatory evacuation within the 14-kilometer danger zone while the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) placed several towns on lockdown.

Some local government officials, however, have designated "window hours" within which residents can briefly return to their homes.

The DILG secretary said 98 percent of the residents within the 14-kilometer radius of the volcano have evacuated.

In its report as of 6 a.m. Monday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said 50,599 families or 203,763 persons in the provinces of Batangas, Quezon, Laguna and Cavite have been affected by the Taal Volcano eruption.

Of the total, 26,767 families or 104,377 persons, are taking temporary shelter in 408 evacuation centers.

As of January 17, the Department of Agriculture said damage to the farm sector in Batangas, Laguna and Cavite has reached more than P3 billion

In a separate interview, DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing said commercial activities are not allowed yet within the 14-kilometer danger zone.

The DILG has issued a memorandum to Tagaytay City Mayor Agnes Tolentino to implement its order for establishments to temporarily cease operations due to Taal’s intense unrest.

He made the statement following reports that the SkyRanch, an amusement park, and some other businesses in Tagaytay have reopened for business.

“We are actually discouraging tourists or locals to go up to Tagaytay dahil nasa Alert Level 4. Mamaya pag-akyat nila biglang sumabog, makakadagdag pa sila sa tutulungan o poprotektahan,” Densing said.

For his part, NDRRMC director Ricardo Jalad said Tagaytay City remains vulnerable to heavy ash fall brought about by the activities of the volcano.

"They are safe from base surge but affected by ashfall...Immediately outside of the danger zone, there is still heavy ashfall that can affect these areas," Jalad said in a Camp Crame press briefing. (SunStar Philippines)