LEGAZPI CITY – It is a happy New Year indeed for thousands of evacuees here after local officials personally informed them at noon Friday of the Albay provincial government’s impending decampment plan over the subsiding volcanic activities of Mount Mayon.

Loud cheers boomed at the Gogon Elementary School, which housed some 3,500 residents, when Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal, read a portion of the bulletin issued by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) about the possible downgrading of the alert level.

And 47-year-old Melvin Mina could not help but heaved a sigh of relief as Rosal explained that it could mean going back to their home in Barangay Bonga, which is within the 6-8 kilometer extended danger zone, possibly within three to seven days.

“Sa wakas makakauli na kami. Dipisilon digdi, warang sex life. Dai kami makabwelo,” he said laughing. (“Finally we can go home, it’s hard here, we have no sex life. We can’t do it here.”)

And the “feed the pigs” joke suddenly became the source of laughter for weary evacuees, including housewives, while Rosal was asking them for a little patience.

“Haluyon na kaming dai nakakabahog ki orig!” shouted Boyet Abellano, eliciting laughter even from local officials. (“It’s been a while since we fed our pigs.”)

In an interview, Abellana revealed that he has already three children but admitted that he and his wife would certainly do some humping when they go back home. He, however, promised to be safe.

While it served as good news for 7,218 families living within the extended danger zones, the information made the rest of 2,078 families even long for their home.

Albay Governor Joey Salceda explained that should the alerted level is lowered to 3, they would immediately start sending those living within the extended danger back to their home.

“Those living within the six-kilometer danger zone would have to wait a little longer. If the alert level is further downgraded, that’s the time that they can go home,” said Salceda.

“But the good news is that those living in extended danger zone will be able to “feed their pigs’ soon,” he added.

In a meeting Friday morning, Phivolcs officials asked local disaster officials here to give them three to seven more days in order to ensure that it would be safe indeed for the evacuees to go home.

As such, Salceda said they will ask officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) to postpone the resumption of the classes for a few days in schools currently being occupied by more than 47,000 evacuees.

This was also echoed by Rosal, saying they are eyeing the postponement of classes in affected areas in Legazpi City for a maximum of five days until the Phivolcs lower the alert.

And with the recent development, Legazpi City Disaster and Coordinating Council director Pecos Intia said they will no longer evacuate carabaos and cattles in the extended danger zones.

“The pigs and dogs will remain there. We will allow some of you to go back to feed them,” Intia told the evacuees in Gogon Elementary School.

“But take note, only one for each family will be allowed to feed your pigs or dogs. We will definitely not allow couples to go back because they may do the other ‘feeding’ there.”

“Baka dalawa lang kayong umalis, pagbalik nyo tatlo na,” Intia told the evacuees.