Manila: The Philippines received a humanitarian aid shipment from the UAE on Monday to assist thousands of people who had to be evacuated from villages close to the nation's most active volcano, which has started spewing lava and sulfuric gas.

Since Thursday, the Mayon volcano in central Albay province has been on the third level of a five-step alert system, indicating a high level of unrest and the potential for a dangerous eruption. Lava eruptions began on Sunday night.

More than 14,000 residents of the 6-km "danger zone" surrounding Mayon's crater have been relocated to safer areas by Philippine authorities since volcanic activity picked up last week.

Also Read: King Charles III mounts the horse to reinstate royal custom

According to Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos Jr., secretary of the Philippine Interior and Local Government, the UAE government donated 50 tonnes of various food items to the Southeast Asian nation in response to news of the growing unrest on Mayon.

Mohammad Obaid Al-Qataam Al-Zaabi, the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, called me. After hearing about Mayon, he told me that the president of the UAE "(wanted) to) give humanitarian donations in the form of 50 tonnes of goods, of food." In a phone interview with Arab News, Abalos spoke.

According to Abalos, the aid shipment from the UAE is the first foreign gift the Philippines has ever received to help with relief and humanitarian efforts for Mayon.
He continued, "He said the UAE government is more than willing to help us and give more if we need it.

Also Read: Pakistani ambassador praises Saudi support for Sudan evacuations

"We are incredibly grateful... We were deeply moved by their gesture.

The Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development said it is working to send the supplies to those affected by the Mayon volcano's increased activity. The food aid arrived on a chartered Etihad plane early on Monday morning.

The responsibility of the DSWD, according to DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, is to deliver these items to the Mayon (evacuees) within 24 hours. They ought to have these by Wednesday morning.

Lava flowing down the Mayon slopes, according to officials, is a further indication of the volcano's increased activity. In their most recent report, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology noted 260 additional rockfall events within the past 24 hours, up from 177 in the previous 24-hour period.

According to Abalos, Philippine officials are currently preparing to raise the volcano's alert level to the fourth, which would require the evacuation of 40,000 people.

We simply need to assess whether there are enough evacuation centres, food supplies, etc., he continued.

Due to its nearly perfect conical shape, the 2,462-meter-high Mayon, which is situated about 330 km southeast of the country's capital Manila, is a well-liked tourist destination in the Philippines. When it last erupted violently in 2018, tens of thousands of villagers were forced to flee.

Also Read: The head of the UN suggests a code to combat "grave" misinformation

In the past four centuries, Mayon has erupted more than 50 times, making it one of the Philippines' twenty or so most active volcanoes.

The Philippines, which is situated along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," is vulnerable to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. One of the largest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century, the Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1991 claimed the lives of over 800 people.