Sorsogon Folk Brought To Safety

By Juan Escandor Jr. (Inquirer)
Posted 03:25am (Mla time) June 21, 2006

SORSOGON CITY—The uncertainty over when Bulusan Volcano would erupt has driven residents in communities near the danger zone to seek the safety of evacuation centers.

Sheila Hebres, 26, a mother of five residing in Inlagadian, Casiguran, Sorsogon, said she and most of the families in their village opted to go and stay at the evacuation center because, she said, they felt that the situation was getting worse.

Hebres’ village is located in the southwestern portion of Bulusan.

“The earth’s movement is getting frequent and the roaring sound is becoming louder like an airplane booming underground. We are very frightened,” she said.

Hebres said most of the male residents stayed in their village to watch over pieces of property and to continue doing whatever work they could do.

She added that their vegetable crops were destroyed and that what they could harvest now were just root crops.

But on the other side of Bulusan, the northeastern side, residents there were not as worried about the impending eruption.

Carlito Pancho, 29, a farmer, lives seven hills away from one of the craters but, he said, they felt they were not in danger.

He said his wife and a new born baby were safe in their home in the eastern slope though they also felt the tremor prior to the volcano’s ash emissions.