Tatay Eusebio Cacao spent his entire life in Talisay, Batangas, and had witnessed the 1965 eruption of Taal Volcano but the recent unrest did not scare him off the area. But he pleads for his children to come and visit him, saying that they just left him alone as if he’s just a piece of clothing they just threw away!

In a video report shared by Abante TNT, Tatay Eusebio said that when the volcano erupted again last January 12, he didn’t evacuate because he didn’t think this one would be more dangerous the first one that he experienced.

According to Tatay Eusebio, he was just 15 years old when Taal Volcano erupted in 1965. It was night and everyone was scared as it rained fire from the sky. But now that he is 68 years old, the volcano only spewed ash and mud, not fire. So, he was not scared and felt that he does not have to evacuate because there’s no danger.

Asked whether he thought the volcano would still erupt and rain fire on the island and nearby areas, Tatay Eusebio said he does not think so as the recent eruption was ‘mild’. In 1965, the volcano only erupted once and sent that rain of fire, he said, but he thinks nothing similar would happen now because the volcano is simply spewing mud.

What he is more concerned of, however, is for his children to visit him. While he chose to stay at their home despite the evacuation warning, he calls for his children to visit him because he feels that they just threw him away like used clothes.

According to Tatay Eusebio, he has seven children; though he already lost one. But the six refused to see him again and don’t even ask whether he still has money for food. Living alone, he wishes they would visit him from time to time. He added that he even has a child now working in Japan but even that one does not send him some support.

Watch the video here:

The ‘Small but Terrible’ Taal Volcano

Taal Volcano might be small and seemingly harmless, but it is actually one of the 16 so-called “Decade Volcanoes” identified around the world for their dangerous eruptive histories. It is second most active volcano in the Philippines, with 34 recorded eruptions in history.

He might not be Filipino but for Basel Manadil who vlogs under the name “The Hungry Syrian Wanderer”, he is “The Adopted Son of the Philippines” – and he loves to give back by sharing his blessings to many Filipinos in need.

Recently, Basel went viral for the many things he did to help those affected by the Taal eruption. He gave N95 masks for free and just recently spent 11 hours cooking over 1,100 servings of chicken kabsa, a popular dish in the Middle East, to give out to the evacuees, again for free!

It did not matter to Basel that he and his team spent many hours cooking the dish and preparing the meals in packs for easy distribution to the evacuees, as long as he can help many people in need. He bought all the items out of his own money, not even asking for any donations. This endeared him more to many netizens who admired his big heart for Filipinos.

A lot of netizens agreed that Basel did not really have to do this; he has no obligation whatsoever to give anything to Filipinos. Yet he has proven so many times that it did not matter to him whether he’s Filipino or not, because by heart he is one – and he is ready to help his fellowmen without asking for anything in return.

Many netizens thanked him for his kindness and for letting Pinoys taste the favorite dish from the Middle East, while others joked that perhaps he should also give them some because the food looks so good!

And while there were those who took notice of the feathers still on some of the pieces, others commented that it was difficult for Basel and his team to check each piece of chicken because of the volume they prepared. The Taal evacuees could just take the feathers out with ease. What’s important is that Basel is helping out!

What’s Chicken Kabsa?

Chicken kabsa is a popular dish that’s thought to have originated in Saudi Arabia but is also picked as national dish among many countries in the Middle East. This dish makes use of basmati rice, chicken thighs or wings (or even whole chicken), carrots, lemon, tomato paste, and other vegetables.

It started out as just another ordinary day for the people living in Taal as they took tourists on tours to the crater lake and other beautiful tourist spots on the volcanic island. But things would take a dangerous turn just a little after lunch time when steam started to come out from a vent.

As the smoky steam rose higher and got bigger, the locals knew this was not just an ordinary day – the volcano is erupting and everyone should be evacuated out of the island ASAP! So, the horses that were often used to take tourists on tours were soon used to take them out of the hiking spots as fast as possible.

Everyone knew that they had to leave the island as soon as possible. But a tourist managed to take a video of their hike and evacuation. This showed people what happened on the island right before the volcano erupted.

Michella Domenici shared a video of their hike on the island. Together with their guide, they hiked up the spot that offers one of the best vantage points of the crater lake. The crater lake looks beautiful but she noticed that there’s smoke coming from one spot. Since the smoke was small, it did not cause alarm yet, but this would soon change in just a matter of minutes.

As the smoke coming from that vent grew bigger, the locals told everyone to evacuate. The tourists found help in the guides who let them ride the horses to safety. Michella managed to take some videos of the tall smoke column rising from the vent as they moved to the wharf where the boats swiftly took them away from the island.

It was only when they were safely on the other side that the group breathed a sigh of relief. Looking back, they saw that the volcano has erupted, sending tons of volcanic material several kilometers up the sky! That was definitely a close call. Everyone is thankful that they made it out of the island. Thankfully, no casualties have been reported as of press time.

Here’s the video:

What is Evacuation?

Evacuation is the urgent and immediate egress or escape of people from a certain area due to imminent danger or hazard to lives and property. This is often done during calamities.