Singapore—Even if Rachel Tan, who has posted four times on Scoot’s Facebook page over the carrier’s mistaken double charges, doesn’t want to fly with Scoot anymore, she doesn’t seem to have a choice, as she was given a voucher instead of a refund, for Scoot’s error.
When she refused the voucher and asked for a refund again, she was told that she needs to pay S$50 for the administration fee. Ms Tan refused this as well, for the reason that the error was on Scoot’s part, and not hers.
“Why should I have I have to pay for your mistakes?!,” she wrote in her most recent post.
Ms Tan posted on FlyScoot’s page on Jan 1, 12, 14 and 20, telling the story of how she booked a flight to Melbourne in November of last year. She was erroneously double charged for her online booking, and therefore reached out to Scoot to correct this.
Ms Tan says that she asked for a refund on her credit card, which Scoot agreed to. She was told that it would take five weeks to complete the refund, but instead of getting her S$616 back, she received an email saying that she would get a flight voucher that was valid for one-year from Scoot.
To make matters worse, when she called the airline, she was told that “since my flight was non-refundable, it was in good will that I was even refunded anything. (Bear in mind I did not make the decision to buy 2 tickets but rather was charged twice for the same ticket).”
After emailing again, Ms Tan was told that she had been the one to agree to the voucher instead of a refund. However, when she asked for an recording of the call as proof that she had agreed to this arrangement, her emails have been “blatantly ignored.”
Ms Tan, who describes herself as a “peanut-earning millennial” several times, was understandably upset over the matter.
After her January 12 post, which was addressed to Scoot CEOLee Lik Hsin, she was told that she could, after all, avail of the credit card refund, as long as she paid the S$50 admin fee.
Ms Tan wrote, “I rejected this proposal as it’s a stupid one. Scoot should incur the cost for their own negligence. Why should a customer pay for their mistake? The only reason why we are in the situation is because of a lapse in Scoot’s operation and backend. Additionally, as a customer, have I not paid enough with my frustration and 2 months of chasing? Not to mention the countless hours emailing back and forth…”
In her most recent post on FlyScoot Facebook account, which she addressed again to the company’s CEO, Ms Tan painstakingly explained her plight all over again. But this time, she wrote that she would not fly with the carrier anymore and would let others know about her experience, saying that she was “very disheartened” with the way Scoot staff treated her issue.
“In the end I have $600 of scoot voucher with a validity of only 1 year. The audacity and inconsideration of your company to think a peanut earning millennial like me can afford to fly on trips as and when I want… really astounds me.
I understand if your system had an error or a bug, it would have been easily forgiven if your staff hadn’t caused me all this frustration and anxiety from chasing my money since November only to be ignored… To push the cost of your system failure on to your customer … makes your company the typical corporate bully.
You forced me… a customer to take your flights because I have no choice but to use my vouchers and you think I’d want to fly with you again?! Please.”
According to Scoot’s records, Ms Tan was not doubly charged. She had made bookings for two Singapore-Melbourne flights on a third party website on 9 November 2019. Based on Scoot’s identical bookings policy, we will refund the full cost of the duplicate booking in the form of Scoot travel vouchers, and this was communicated to Ms Tan when she approached our customer service team. Upon her acceptance, we proceeded to process her refund request. Scoot would like to clarify that in order to avoid duplicate charges, all credit card payment transactions made on the Scoot website require customers to input a One-Time-Password for authentication, however Ms Tan’s bookings were made on a third party website without this mechanism. As stated on our website, in general, refunds will be provided within 30 business days. Scoot has been in touch with Ms Tan to resolve this issue.
Workers’ Party (WP) secretary-general Pritam Singh explained why Singaporeans should vote for the WP and what is at stake during the impending general election at the WP’s Members’ Forum 2020 that took place on Sunday (19 Jan). Read his speech in full here:
Chair Sylvia Lim, members of the Central Executive Committee and colleagues,
It gives me great pleasure to speak to you at today’s WP Member’s Forum 2020. After the Parliamentary exchanges on jobs for Singaporeans earlier this month, I decided it was a good opportunity to speak today about why the public should vote for the Workers’ Party. In doing so, I also hope to share more details with members of the public about what the Workers’ Party brings to Singapore politics.
Before that, a reality check is always a good place to start. The Government has significant financial resources at its disposal to implement effective policies for our people. The PAP has also timed its policy tweaks to coincide with the political calendar, with more to come at Budget 2020. Let me give you a few examples.
From this month, about 60,000 members on the CPF Retirement Sum Scheme have seen an increase in their monthly pay-outs. My father is one of them. He received a letter a few days ago, stating that he would be receiving $856 instead of $711 a month. Of course, some Singaporeans wonder why the age cap for the scheme was not lowered from 95 to 90 years of age much much earlier, but that’s a story for another day.
Like my father, my mother is a member of the Merdeka generation. Some weeks back, she paid no cash to get her teeth checked and cleaned at the polyclinic although she had to draw down her Medisave balances. At the other end of the age spectrum, subsidies and qualifying income ceilings for infant care, pre-school and kindergarten programmes were also enhanced this month. Some 30,000 households stand to benefit.
On this note, I was informed by a resident in East Coast GRC just last month that the government engaged Rysense, a Singapore-based research organisation to conduct a door-to-door survey. The general thrust of the questions went like this, from a range of 1-10, how much do you trust the government, how much do you trust the President, and this is significant, and critically, do you think the Government is caring? At the end of the survey, a $10 NTUC voucher was given to the respondents.
I narrate these facts because traditionally, there has been a knee-jerk instinct from some Singaporeans to frame the PAP as an uncaring government. In view of the PAP’s shift to the left after GE 2011, that position is unlikely to sit with our fellow Singaporeans, many of whom acknowledge tweaks and improvements to some policies enacted by the Government. Referring to the PAP as uncaring so as to persuade some of our fellow Singaporeans to consider casting their vote for the WP will be self-defeating for us. The call instead has to be for a better balanced Parliament with elected opposition MPs serving as a realistic and meaningful check on the PAP, raising concerns of our citizens to Parliament, while at the same time building up public sector experience so as to be effective Parliamentarians and Town Councillors.
The WP is not in control of the national purse strings, purse strings which the PAP have chosen to loosen in this term of government with introduction of investment returns from Temasek inducted into the reserves formula from Budget 2016. That constitutional change was supported by the Workers’ Party. We decided that moving forward, the Government needed to commit greater expenditure for healthcare, infrastructure and our aging population. What the additional monies also do however, as we have seen, is give the PAP a significant amount of latitude to do what all political incumbents do – calibrate and maximize the impact of any policy for political success. So the question some of you hear during house visits from some Singaporeans, especially those who see politics as a transactional exercise is – what can the opposition do for me?
The direct answer is no opposition in any parliamentary democracy anywhere in the world can for example, pass Bills to introduce a minimum wage for low-income Singaporeans or directly ease cost of living burdens for the middle-class. An opposition also cannot release data and statistics on the number of PRs in the economy and what the Government’s track record been in ensuring that skills are transferred to Singaporeans over time and getting that $10,000 job.
The opposition’s role, in a democracy like Singapore or anywhere in world, is different – it is to make sure that the ruling party does not have a blank cheque to do whatever it wants. More NCMP seats will not perform the checking role to induce the PAP to change its political course. The opposition’s role is meaningful when voters elect an opposition with an elected mandate to speak for Singaporeans. An unelected opposition in Parliament cannot change the PAP. GE 2011 and the Government’s response to shift to the left proved that.
In October, last year in comments to CNN, the Prime Minister said that Singapore’s key test in the next decade or two is whether it has competent leadership that works for Singaporeans, rather than achieving the “right numerical balance” in Parliament. At last year’s member’s forum, I spoke of the Workers’ Party aiming to contest and win 1/3 of the parliamentary seats in the medium term.
The numerical balance that the Prime Minister dismisses, on the contrary, absolutely counts because the PAP cannot change the constitution at its pleasure unless it has more that 2/3 of the seats in Parliament, like it can today. So the right numerical balance is not just random number, it is an inherent checking mechanism in our parliamentary democracy against any ruling party that chooses to put its political interests first.
If it has less than 2/3 of the seats in Parliament, the PAP will have to rationally persuade Singaporeans, for example that a rotation of races for the Elected Presidency is an urgent necessity that cannot wait. From my conversation with many minority Singaporeans when the Elected Presidency was amended in this term of Government – particularly those from the Malay community – the demand for a Malay President was not a particularly pressing concern. Most were in fact more enthusiastic about Malay MPs taking up ministerial appointments in high-profile Ministries than the Elected Presidency. In my opinion, the urgency to amend the Elected Presidency was politically manufactured by the PAP. The real risk appeared to be Tan Cheng Bock’s potential participation in the last Presidential elections, and the election of a President who was unlikely to be the PAP’s preferred choice.
So the numerical balance in Parliament counts – a lot in fact. The one-third minority and two-third majorities are an inherent design features of our Constitution and by extension, our democracy. Democracy – a national value represented by one out of five shining stars in our national flag.
But we cannot control how the PAP choose to act politically or vouch for its political judgment. Should the PAP choose to do its worst, the Workers’ Party must focus on doing our best. Workers’ Party members are better off retaining our sights on our own political conduct, and to reflect and act with circumspection and thoughtfulness. The public may want an elected opposition in Parliament, but we have to earn our place and work hard both in our Town Councils and in Parliament to retain the confidence and support of our people. So we cannot just rest by performing our institutional role as a check and balance against the PAP by filing Parliamentary Questions no PAP MP dares to file – for example, questioning the Government on the Keppel corruption scandal or asking about the political pressures that led to the construction of the Bukit Panjang LRT and hundreds of other PQs filed over the years.
We must always strive for greater heights at the Town Council level to continue building the public’s confidence in alternate political leaders. The Aljunied-Hougang Town Council has performed well in this term of parliament. Under the leadership of Faisal Manap, Sylvia Lim and Png Eng Huat, and thanks to the tireless efforts of the AHTC staff, the Town Council has recorded an operating surplus in excess of $7m for this parliamentary term. We have decided to park around $1m of that to improve connectivity and amenities in the town including more linkways, drop-off points and amenities for residents. I am also proud of the AHTC staff because they have internalized the direction of the Town Council leadership and its town councillors by committing to serve all residents, regardless of which party our residents support.
To conclude, I believe the Workers’ Party has an important role to play in shaping how a responsible opposition party participates in Singapore politics. Focusing on the facts, not taking the PAP’s word as the gospel truth but pursuing answers that the PAP may seek to fudge or give a superficial answer to, and having a single-minded determination to improve the living environment of the community and homes of our residents.
For the upcoming general elections, we will field candidates that the public can envision to become competent MPs and Parliamentary backbenchers and who will manage their Town Councils well. The focus will be on quality candidates from a range of backgrounds and life experiences. It is my firm belief that they will do Singapore and our people proud, in Parliament and as elected Town Councillors. I ask the party members to work together as one to make them all succeed and to strengthen the Workers’ Party to better serve Singapore and Singaporeans. Chair Sylvia Lim and I look forward to taking your questions later during the Q&A.
This relationship is doing well and it is due to Cara and Ashley’s effort in making it work. Despite the issues that the couple faced last month, their relationship is still intact. Last month a hacker used Cara’s Twitter account to share a false rumour that the couple had broken up. However, all is good in Cara and Ashley’s relationship.
In the Instagram post, Ashley replied to Cara’s comment with a poop emoticon, injecting fun into the online conversation.
Cara and Ashley have been dating since 2018 but they only officially announced their relationship in 2019. They have been spotted going out more often with some PDA involved.
The duo acted in 2018 film Her Smell, walked the red carpets together, going for sporting events and attended Zoe Kravitz’s wedding in spring.
Rumours of them dating started in May 2018 when they were spotted in a bowling alley and also near a parking meter in Hollywood.
Ashley posted a photo of them together but did not confirm their relationship status.
In August 2018, a photo of them kissing at the airport was circulated. Ashley attended Cara’s birthday together with Margot Robbie and Sienna Miller. She also wore a necklace with the letters A and C which maybe referring to Cara and her.
Facebook screengrab: Institute of Policy Studies - IPS
Singapore—At the annual conference of the Institute of Policy Studies’ (ISP) Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing put forth their vision for the future of the country, as the fourth generation of leaders head to the upcoming General Election (GE) to prove their mettle.
Mr Chan said, “What’s my vision for Singapore? Defy the odds of history, show the world how a small city state without natural resources, without a common ancestry can come together, add value to the world, contribute to the world and bring forth people with a common set of values and visions.”
The 4G leaders are also considering the legacy they are building for future generations. He talked about “our stewardship to leave behind something better for the next generation just as the previous generation has left us with what we have today. That every generation of Singaporeans will not fear because they will start from a higher platform to scale a higher peak, that every generation will lend our shoulders to the next to stand taller and see further.”
Around 1,120 people attended ISP’s conference, including members of civil society groups, leaders, businessmen, academics and public servants.
In his speech, DPM Heng promised that ruling People’s Action Party (PAP)’s leaders will “make every effort to build a future of progress for Singaporeans in the coming decades.” He also asked Singaporeans to stay united, in spite of the current political climate of division all over the world.
“The key imperative for our politics should be to manage our differences, expand our common purpose to engender a greater sense of ‘we’, and ensure that society can progress as one – together,” he added.
Another speaker at the conference was Dr Lam Peng Er, a senior research fellow at the East Asian Institute of the National University of Singapore. He looked at how PAP has diverted from Duverger’s life cycle theory, where “the dominant part wears itself out in office” and decreases momentum.
He said that PAP should evolve and adapt from “politics of survival” to “survival of aspirations.”
He asked, “Can PAP afford a team B without tearing itself apart? Can the PAP’s governance evolve from a small elite circle to greater political participation and transparency in governance?”
Moreover, as he ended his talk, he asked whether the country’s opposition parties will be able to attract talent to offer a feasible alternative to the ruling party.
As for Zuraidah Ibrahim, South China Morning Post’s deputy executive editor, she said that Singaporean voters have accepted the fact that the opposition sees itself not as an alternative government waiting for its turn, but as an entity that provides a check to PAP.
“We have seen the opposition make surges that spark speculation about whether we are on track to a 1.5-party system; only to have the electorate course correct and vote more conservatively in the following election. Clearly, the electorate wants some opposition. But either too much or too little makes the public nervous.” -/TISG
Rihanna's bare-face photo caught the attention of her fans. Picture: Instagram
Songstress Rihanna’s romantic life has always been of interest to not just fans but others too. The singer however remains mum about her love life and never talks about it. Most of the time, it is about her career and nothing more. One of the people who is said to have dated Rihanna before this is Travis Scott.
In 2015, it is speculated that the two were dating and they hit it off. However, after a while, there has been no news about the two.
During New York Fashion Week in 2015, the paparazzi caught the two hanging out with each other several times.
Travis Scott used to date Rihanna. Picture: Instagram
According to E! News,Travis and Rihanna were officially seeing each other and are in a serious relationship.
Another source said that Travis was Rihanna’s type and they share similar interests. Friends of Rihanna’s said that Travis was a keeper but eventually it turned out differently.
The reason why Rihanna and Travis Scott did not work out in the end was because they were too different, according to sources.
According to Urban Islandz magazine, Travis wanted to be with her all the time and wanted her to travel with him for his show. It was too much for Rihanna even though the attention was flattering.
Sources shared with HollywoodLife that Travis did not like Rihanna’s wild party lifestyle.
He allegedly said that being with Rihanna was like sitting in the front seat of the car and holding on the handles for dear life.
He told Complex that he had no hard feelings and always had a soft spot for Rihanna, complimenting her as creative, inspiring and his muse.
He joined Rihanna’s ANTI tour during 2016, with no more rumours circulating about the duo.
Travis Scott later dated Kylie Jenner after Rihanna. He dated her on April 2017, he had a daughter with her in February 2018 and ended it on 2019. Travis Scott is currently single but there are talks that he might reconcile with Jenner.
As for Rihanna she then dated billionaire entrepreneur Hassan Jameel. They were first rumoured to be dating each other in 2017. The couple have since broken up. Rumours are saying that Rihanna is now seeing fellow rapper ASAP Rocky.
Photo: Facebook screengrab/ Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Wei Ling, Lee Hsien Yang
On Monday (Jan 20), a judge dismissed two applications by defence lawyer M Ravi in a criminal defamation case linked to alternative news site The Online Citizen.
Daniel Augustin De Costa, 36, was charged with criminal defamation and unauthorised access to computer material under the Computer Misuse Act.
Earlier in October last year, the Info-communications and Media Development Authority (IMDA) made a police report against alternative news site The Online Citizen (TOC) and a writer named Willy Sum after the website published an article titled “The Take Away from Seah Kian Ping’s Facebook Post”, purportedly written by Sum.
He was charged in November alongside TOC editor Terry Xu Yuanchen for criminal defamation, and received a second charge for his computer crime.
The article drew the Government’s attention for making allegations of corruption against certain individuals. The Attorney-General’s Chambers subsequently allowed the police to investigate the matter. The police obtained a court warrant to search the homes of Xu and Sum.
In presenting his arguments to the court, Mr Ravi brought up section 12 in Singapore’s constitution, which states that all persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law.
He argued that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s siblings – Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling – have not been prosecuted for their comments, and added, “If the Lee siblings were not prosecuted, Mr De Costa should similarly not be prosecuted”.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Mohamed Faizal, Ho Lian-Yi and Sheryl Yeo urged the court to dismiss this application, saying it possessed “absolutely no merit”.
Parties will return to court for a pre-trial conference on Feb 17.
Leading up to Xu’s defamation suit against him, on Sep 1 last year, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) issued a letter to the editor of TOC, demanding an apology and that they remove an article and a Facebook post repeating allegations made by PM Lee’s sister Lee Wei Ling during the Lee family feud in 2017.
The letter put forth PM Lee’s request that TOC immediately remove the article and Facebook post by Sep 4, and publish a “full and unconditional apology” along with an undertaking that it would not publish similar allegations in the future. The letter warned that “PM Lee will have no choice but to hand the matter over to his lawyers to sue to enforce his full rights in law” if TOC does not comply.
On Sep 4, Mr Xu responded and said that he will not comply with the demands set out in PM Lee’s letter. The very next day (5 Sept), PM Lee’s lawyers served Mr Xu with a writ of summons and a statement of claim at his place of residence, initiating a defamation case against him. /TISG
Taylor Swift has a healthier outlook in life. Picture: Creative Commons
All of us have our own quirks when it comes to exercising. It may be that the gym equipment must be spotless and shiny or that the air must be fresh and cool.
Some of us must dress a certain way. Sometimes even take a shower before we work out even though eventually we will perspire.
American songstress Taylor Swift has a gym thing too. The blonde beauty has a personal trainer but the session requires her to have the room to herself.
According to TMZ, the Lover hitmaker went to the Dogpound Gym in West Hollywood recently. The gym staff were asked to clear out from the area. However, one person stayed on for a while to complete his fitness time.
Justin Bieber did not have a private appointment but he was finishing his exercise … and he was clueless about Swift being in the gym.
Justin Bieber did not know Taylor Swift would be working out in the same gym. Picture: Instagram
He was reportedly “goofing around and dancing” even though someone wanted the room cleared out. But he left after a while.
One wonders if it would have been awkward for Bieber to bump into Swift. It had been reported recently that Swift was best friends with Selena Gomez.
Beiber and Gomez had an on-off relationship but called it quits in the first half of 2018.
Swift also has music business issues with Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun.
Ah Boys to Men star promoted Drakemall. Picture: Instagram
Singapore — A virtual mystery box website promoted by Ah Boys To Men actor Ridhwan Ahmad is a remote gambling service and has been ordered blocked by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The website, Drakemall, which is based in Ireland, offers fashion, beauty and gadget items as prizes.
It had been promoted by Ridhwan on YouTube on Dec 22 last year.
To stand a chance to win the gadgets, one must open virtual boxes which can be purchased from US$1 (S$1.35) to around US$140 (S$188).
The New Paper reported on Monday (Jan 20) that the ministry ordered the website blocked last week.
Ridhwan had demonstrated in a 13-minute video that he won an iPhone 11 by buying a box for $6.50. The original price for the iPhone 11 is about $1,000. Ridhwan, 26, also provided guidance on the registration process and gave a referral code with his name for more benefits.
In 2012, the actor played Recruit Ismail in Jack Neo’s Ah Boys to Men franchise. His YouTube fan base is 500,000 plus, aged 12 to 18, and Drakemall may have been targeting this age group.
Last Friday, the YouTube video had 70,000 views. It was later taken down.
Ridhwan shared with The New Paper that he was not sure that Drakemall was an online gambling site. He said many YouTubers around the globe were also promoting it.
The actor said that, when he was asked to promote Drakemall, he was told it was a mystery box game. He did not know it was an online gambling site. Ridhwan said that his career was important to him and that he would not do anything to risk it.
A police spokesman said that the sale of mystery boxes and remote gambling is illegal unless exempted by the ministry.
“Individuals who provide an overseas remote gambling service with a Singapore-customer link or a Singapore-based remote gambling service, without an exemption, would have committed offences under the Remote Gambling Act 2014.”
Ridhwan Azman promoted a mystery box website. Picture: Instagram
Those who provide such a service can be jailed for up to seven years, or fined up to $500,000, or both. Those who promote such services can be fined up to $20,000.
In 2018, mystery prize machines were banned in Singapore. Police warned that they were a form of public lottery.
Dr Carol Balhetchet, a clinical psychologist, said that it was irresponsible to expose teens to sites like Drakemall.
She said that it was a negative way to promote to the young the idea of getting what they wanted even if they did not have much money.
US actor Mark Hamill who is famous for his role as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars film franchise has made a mark in Malaysia for a slight miscommunication.
The Star Wars actor recently appeared in The Rise of Skywalker and he became popular online after accidentally tweeting a Malaysian flag emoji instead of an American one.
The 68-year-old blasted Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO for his move to allow political ads on Facebook.
In the tweet, Hamill wrote that he was disappointed at Zuckerberg for valuing profit more than truth. He said he deleted his Facebook account and that it did not matter for the world but Hamill will sleep better at night.
Mark Hamill plays Luke Skywalker. Picture: Creative Commons.
The actor used two emojis to show that the US is more than just about money but he mistakenly used the Malaysian flag instead of the American one.
There are 14 red and white stripes for Malaysia and 13 red and white stripes for the US. On the top left is a royal blue canton.
Both flags are indistinguishable to Americans as the emojis are small.
Even though Hamill corrected his mistake, the original tweet created much excitement among Malaysians.
Malaysians thanked Hamill, asking him to visit the country one day.
Hamill then tweeted that now everyone would have a good laugh at his expense for his mistake in using the Malaysian flag instead of the American one.
He said the fact remained the same and no country measures their worth in money.
He also added that he now has a lot of Malaysian followers.
Wayang from Malaysia tweeted big love from Malaysia and has been following Hamill since 1977.
Gary tweeted that Malaysia is a paradise. He said that the actor could not have selected a more beautiful country with nicer people to accidentally post a flag from.
He added that Malaysians are the nicest accidental friends he will ever make.
Malek tweeted that a small town in his hometown Sarawak was called Padawan. It is a term used for Jedi apprentices in the Star Wars universe.
He said that in Sarawak, Malaysia, there is a place called Padawan but he has not found any Jedis there.
Crater lake in Taal Volcano before January 12, 2020. Author's own photo.
Philippine authorities ordered a crackdown Monday on evacuees’ daily visits to their homes in the danger zone around Taal volcano as scientists warned it could be “recharging” for a more powerful explosion.
More than 110,000 people have taken refuge in evacuation centres since Taal burst to life a week ago, but many hard-hit towns have let residents back for hours each day to fetch items, feed livestock and clean up their houses.
“We are directing DRRMCs (civil defence officers)… not to allow anyone to enter the danger zone,” said Epimaco Densing, undersecretary for the Department of Interior.
“It’s dangerous, that’s why we have imposed a lockdown,” he told reporters.
The volcano shot ash 15 kilometres (nine miles) high in the January 12 eruption, which crushed scores of homes and killed livestock as well as crops.
However, seismologists have warned the volcano could imminently unleash a much bigger eruption, posing a deadly risk to anyone in the 14-kilometre radius “danger zone” that surrounds it.
Continued earthquakes and an increase in the volcano’s emission of sulfur dioxide gas were possible indications of a “recharge” of magna, which would drive a major blast, a top scientist said.
“We consider these are signs that there’s a re-supply of magma which could possibly… cause an eruption that could be strong,” Renato Solidum, head of the Philippines’ seismological agency, told a local radio station.
Until experts deem the threat has passed, evacuees will need the shelters spread across some 400 sites that range from school campuses to covered basketball courts.
Conditions vary between sites, but several evacuees told AFP they were getting food and a place to sleep, but that bathrooms were in high demand.
“It’s really difficult to take a bath or use the toilet because of the sheer numbers (of evacuees), but we can take it,” said Sonia Awitan, 55.
“What is important is we have a place to shelter and sleep in,” she added.
Authorities say they have so far been able to provide fundamental services to the evacuees, but are concerned about the longer term.
“We can handle the (current evacuee numbers). The issue is how are we going to sustain resources over the longer term,” Alex Masiglat, spokesman for disaster relief in the ground zero Calabarzon region.
“Our concern is how are we going to sustain a long term evacuation period,” he added.
Though no people have been reported killed in the eruption, it has wrought havoc on agriculture and tourism.
Taal is set in the middle of a picturesque lake that is a popular draw for tourists, especially since it is just 60 kilometres south of the hot and crowded capital Manila.
