By Samuel P. Medenilla & Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo / Special to the BusinessMirror
THE DEPARTMENT of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is leaving it up to the local government unit of Tagaytay City whether or not to allow business establishments to reopen.
In an interview over CNN Philippines Monday afternoon, DILG Secretary Eduardo S. Año said the latest advisory from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) clarified that “those areas in Tagaytay situated in a higher altitude are actually safe areas. So…we are leaving it to the local chief executive’s discretion whether those establishments will be allowed to reopen.”
He explained based on the geohazard map he has seen, “[Tagaytay] is a big high wall; the lava cannot reach that high.”
In a Malacañang press briefing on Monday morning, DILG Undersecretary for Operations Epimaco V. Densing III also discouraged tourists and locals to go up to Tagaytay “because it’s still under Alert Level 4. If they go up, and the volcano suddenly explodes, they will just be an additional group of people that have to helped or protected.”
Some 60 establishments, including hotels, restaurants, event spaces, retail stores, supermarkets and drugstores, reopened over the weekend despite the continued warnings of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) that an imminent explosive eruption is expected for the Taal Volcano. (See, “60 Tagaytay outfits reopen despite Taal,” in the BusinessMirror, January 20, 2020.)
As of January 20, the Phivolcs said Taal Volcano is still at risk of having an imminent destructive eruption based on its sulfur emissions and the earthquakes in its surrounding areas.
Densing said they have placed on lockdown 14 identified local government units (LGU) in Batangas, together with the 132 barangays surrounding or near the Taal Volcano, due to Taal’s ongoing activity.
‘Safety first’
“We know the businessmen are hurting [from the closure]. We understand. But it should be safety first before profit,” Densing said.
To address the concerns of the affected establishments, Densing said they will hold a dialogue with them.
“The only thing we could do is to talk with them, and see how we could relieve them of the pressure of not earning in the meantime…. Hopefully, we could have a dialogue with the businesses, and see what kind of assistance we could give together with the Department of Trade and Industry,” Densing said.
As for the displaced workers, Densing said they are relying on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to provide emergency employment for them.
DOLE earlier said it will hire an initial 6,000 displaced workers to help in its profiling operations in areas affected by the Taal Volcano eruption.
Nancy’s appeal
For her part, Sen. Nancy Binay, who chairs the Senate Committee on Tourism, appealed to businesses within the danger zone to err on the side of safety before reopening their establishments. She told the BusinessMirror, “We are aware that the business losses are mounting, but we also need to recognize that the paramount concern will always be the safety of everyone over other things.”
She also urged the LGU to first conduct a survey of establishments to determine which can operate, even on a partial basis. “Aside from Phivolcs and DILG advisories, these establishments should also be cleared by building officials, city health officers and other government agencies.”
She added, an on-premise survey is needed “to check the extent of damage on big and small businesses, and if they are prepared to handle the situation in the long term, or what their preparations are in a worst-case scenario—that includes putting an emergency plan in place for their customers, guests and staff.”
Made aware of business enterprises and event spaces unwilling to provide refunds to guests due to instructions of the LGU to reopen, the lawmaker stressed, “The businesses can provide flexible terms to those who have bookings with them. They should not penalize their guests. Maybe they can be open to renegotiations, and help their guests in rebooking, refund or to look for other options [and] alternatives.”
She appealed to everyone to “help each other. We didn’t want this to happen, so let’s be a little considerate, and flexible, with customers and don’t give them a difficult time. The same is true with lessors with their tenants who are affected by the Taal Volcano eruption.” Industry sources disclosed that some establishments are forced to reopen as they are unable to negotiate a suspension of rent with their landlords, while Taal Volcano continues to be restless.
“We know that there are economic costs,” said Binay. “It’s not just businesses that are affected here. There are lives at stake—and the safety of our people come first,” she underscored.
Image credits: Roy Domingo