‘Mild’ volcanic earthquakes felt in Tagaytay, three Batangas towns

By BusinessMirror -February 4, 2020

By Jonathan L. Mayuga & Cai U. Ordinario

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported on

Monday that Taal Volcano has continued to simmer down since its phreatic eruption
on January 12.

The volcano, however, emitted more smoke, that may possibly include ashes, while
magmatic activity triggered at least two mild earthquakes that were felt in nearby
towns in Batangas and Tagaytay City in Cavite.

The Taal Lake Aquaculture Alliance Inc. (TLAAI), meanwhile, appealed to the
national government to allow its members to feed, and harvest, healthy and
marketable fish in cages in the Taal Lake.

In a news statement, the TLAAI said Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas and other
ranking government officials involved in Taal’s rehabilitation said around 70
percent of the fish in cages on the lake survived, and can still be harvested and
sold for public consumption.

The TLAAI is requesting that their members be given window hours everyday when they
will be allowed to go back to feed and harvest fish in their cages.

“Half of the surviving cages still have healthy living fish, but they need to be
fed, and fattened, to maximize quality and value. We also need to repair our cages
and start recovering and rebuilding whatever is left of our livelihood. These fish
are our only chance to recover and sustain our 12,000 workers and their families,”
the group stressed.

Apart from this, the TLAAI also requested that a mobile office of the Bureau of
Fish and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and other local government units be set up for
the issuance of auxiliary invoice and local transport permits to facilitate
quick and efficient fish harvest.

TLAAI requested that personnel of the BFAR and Philippine Coast Guard be present,
and ready to assist their members during the window hours granted to them to enter
the 7-kilometer radius around Taal Volcano.

The group also sought assistance from the government to grant credit or letters of
guarantee from the BFAR to allow fisherfolk to obtain additional funds to purchase
feeds.

TLAAI is also requesting that their members be included in the proposed Taal Lake
Commission to provide a “well-grounded” take on aquaculture and fishing in the
area.

Before Taal’s eruption, TLAAI said daily harvest from Taal Lake range from 120 to
150 tons of bangus (milkfish) and tilapia. Total fish production from the 6,000
cages of TLAAI members reach more than 50,000 tons each year.

Of this volume, about 60 percent is consumed in Batangas, Cavite, Laguna and

Quezon. The remaining 40 percent is sent to Metro Manila, and sold through the
Philippine Fisheries Development Authority Fish Port Complex in Navotas City.