Calabarzon, nearby LGUs suspend classes Monday due to Taal vog

MANILA: Classes have been suspended in several areas in the Calabarzon Region and Metro Manila due to volcanic smog (vog) from Taal Volcano in Batangas on Monday. Each local government unit (LGU) announced the class suspensions through their social media pages. The following LGUs have suspended face-to-face classes and shifted to modular or online classes: BATANGAS Balete Balayan Malvar Laurel San Jose Mataas na Kahoy Agoncillo San Nicolas Nasugbu Lemery Lian Talisay San Luis Alitagtag City of Calaca San Pascual Calatagan Tuy Cuenca Sta. Teresita Bauan San Juan Taal Padre Garcia Ibaan CAVITE Silang Mendez Indang Alfonso GMA Carmona Gen . Emilio Aguinaldo Amadeo Maragondon Naic Carmona LAGUNA Calamba Biñan Los Baños In the National Capital Region, the local governments of Parañaque and Muntinlupa cities also suspended classes in all public and private schools. In its social media page, Parañaque warned against the ill health effects and advised the donning of face mask to avoid exposure when going outdoors. Muntinlupa suspended classes starting 10 a.m. due to "unhealthy air quality" and shifted to asynchronous mode of learning. According to the 24-hour observation made by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Taal Volcano released at 12 a.m. Monday, the volcano is on alert level 1 or low-level unrest. Taal was observed to be emitting 3,355 tonnes of sulfur dioxide flux per day since Thursday, resulting in vog. The Phivolcs said vog is composed of sulfur dioxide gas and other volcanic gases, and mixed with atmospheric oxygen, dust or ashes, and sunlight. Vog results in a foggy view of surroundings and can cause irritations of the eyes, throat, and nose. OCD monitoring Taal vog The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said it is monitoring the situation. "Our regional counterpart is continuously monitoring the situation on the AOR (area of responsibility) considering the vog formation reported in the provinces of Batangas, Cavite and Lagun a and continuously coordinating with DOST (Department of Science and Technology)-Phivolcs, DENR-EMB (Department of Environment and Natural Resouces-Environmental Management Bureau) Calabarzon and various LDRRMOs (local disaster risk reduction and management offices) to assess the situation and provide corresponding support once needed," it said in a statement. Source: Philippines News Agency