January 2020

"Masayang masaya po ako na magkakaroon na po [kami] ng toilet, [at] malapit na po 'yung toilet. Kahit anong oras, pwede nang dumumi," community member Erlin Robina said.

Erlin is one of the 45 recipients of the ongoing toilet project at Sitio Monicayo in Mabalacat City, Pampanga. With the construction under the works, the new toilet is no longer just a dream for Erlin and her neighbors, but a reality in the making.

Sanitation phase begins

43 years after its previous eruption in 1977, the Taal Volcano shook the country on January 12 with its spews of ashes and lava.

This prompted the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS)  to order an evacuation in the municipalities surrounding the shores of Taal Lake, also issuing an Alert Level 4 that warns of a hazardous eruption within hours to days. According to the NDRRMC situational report for January 18, 16,174 families or 70,413 individuals took shelter in 300 evacuation centers.

Agapay Tubig for Taal Evacuees

Around 1,969 individuals entered the New Year without homes after fire broke out at Pasig Line Street in Sta. Ana, Manila in the first few hours of 2020.