The Army troops of the 9th Infantry "Spear" Division (9ID) conducted humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) operations for 15,000 evacuees from 23 barangays due to the Mayon volcano unrest on June 10-14, 2023.
During the early volcanic turbulence, the troops of the 9th Civil-Military Operations Battalion (9CMOBn) steered information dissemination in the communities to forewarn the residents within the 6-km radius permanent danger zone (PDZ) of the volcano, which is stipulated by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS). The agency raised Mayon Volcano to Alert Level 3 after a magmatic eruption from the summit dome and increasing rockfall events.
The 9ID leadership recently activated the Task Force Sagip to help the national government in conducting manpower and relief assistance for the affected residents of Mt. Mayon. The TF Sagip is composed of military personnel from the 31st Infantry Battalion (31IB), 49th Infantry Battalion (49IB), 2nd Infantry Battalion (2IB), 903rd Infantry Brigade (903rd Inf Bde), 9th Signal Battalion, Camp Elias Angeles Station Hospital (CEASH), 9th Service Support Team, Headquarters Service Company (HSC), Tactical Operations Group (TOG) 5, and Naval Forces Southern Luzon (NAVFORSOL).
In coordination with the Albay Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO), the TF Sagip troops helped in evacuating 4,200 families from the municipalities of Camalig, Guinobatan, Ligao, Daraga, Malilipot, Tabaco, and Sto. Domingo, Albay to the 22 evacuation centers. Likewise, the TF Sagip and the Philippine National Police (PNP) also provided manpower assistance in sorting and hauling a total of 2,000 relief goods, 3,000 bottles of 6-liters mineral water, 1,000 boxes of hygiene kits, 1,000 boxes of sleeping kits from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and GMA Kapuso Foundation. Moreover, TF Sagip continues to coordinate with the Office of the Civil Defense V – Bicol (OCD5) for the conduct of monitoring and data gathering regarding the updates on Mt. Mayon.
Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Romeo S. Brawner Jr. lauded the 9ID Army troops for their untiring efforts to assist the national government and stakeholders on disaster relief operations that helped the affected communities in Albay. Lt. Gen. Brawner also vowed that the Army troops will continue to help and assist all families with their emergency needs and services during the volcanic unrest of Mayon.
Photos from the Task Force Sagip, 9th Infantry "Spear" Division, Philippine Army