The Provincial Government of Albay is relieved by the issuance of the Commission on Human Rights en banc of Human Rights Advisory A2009-014 entitled "HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTIONS DURING THE EVACUATION OF THE AREA THREATENED BY IMPENDING MAYON VOLCANO ERUPTION" whose guiding principles we are already practicing but which would help as it similarly establishes the duties of other stakeholders and players- like media, disaster tourists, residents etc.
 
    We don't want also that the first violation of the 'Zero Casualty' Rule will be a dead tourist.

Four cases of deaths in evacuation camps not related to disaster

    The four reported deaths since evacuation was ordered Dec. 14 -- one of whom was a barangay captaion -- were  not related  to the eruption of Mayon Volcano, health authorities confirmed. 
   In Legazpi City, Buyuan Barangay Captain Nicanor Perez suffered a heart attack while evacuation was in full swing of a village inside the Extended Danger Zone. It was the second recorded death. The first was due to prolonged illness although easily speculated  being due to heightened anxiety on the eruption. The third recorded death, was a 3-year old boy, due to aspiration secondary to erratic parasitism.
     The fourth, Dec. 29, was registered today at the AECID facility (our best evacuation facility), a 68 year old woman due to congestive heart failure. According to Guinobatan town RHU MHO Dra. Limos, the evacuee was treated for the chromic disease, even prior to the evacuation. The fatality was brought to the nearest provincial hospital --JB Duran Memorial Hospital -- by  the Albay Health Emergency Management (AHEM). 
     No deaths were due to the direct impacts of the eruption (like lava flows, pyroclastic materials, rockfalls or toxic fumes and gases) or the indirect impacts of ashfalls on health.

    No deaths were traced to lack of or poor quality of food or nutrition, water and shelter  in the camps resulting or triggering health preconditions.All deaths were properly investigated by the Joint PHO-DOH Health Team and were reported in our daily Executive Summary of Mayon Health Watch 2009. All four were given assistance by the PSWDO.

Evacuees now 47,563 persons
 
    The evacuation population is now 47,563 which is roughly a medium sized town. Assuming the annual mortality rate of Albay at 0.72%, the annual deaths of this town should be 342. This means 14.27 deaths in fifteen days versus the actual four (4) registered in the past two weeks.

COMMENT OF PHO CHIEF DR. CHITO MENDOZA:

It may be said, in effect, that the evacuees enjoy better access to healthcare or are better-cared for inside the camps than in their usual living conditions.

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