Philippines Volcano
TAAL VOLCANIC ERUPTION, PHILIPPINES
Issued: 13 January 2020
We are aware that a volcano in the Philippines near the capital Manilla has erupted prompting the evacuation of thousands of people and the cancellation of flights. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has raised its alert level to 4 out of 5 — meaning "hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours to days".
We advise all customers who are travelling to, or are already in the affected areas, to take care and please do not hesitate to contact our emergency service if you require assistance. We urge all travellers to remain up-to-date with the latest travel advice for the Philippines from Smartraveller.
The following information concerns policyholders whose travel arrangements have been affected by this event.
IF YOU PURCHASED A POLICY BEFORE 11.59pm (AEST) 12TH JANUARY 2020:
IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY TRAVELLING:
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If you have started your journey and your transport is delayed or cancelled or your accommodation is affected due to this event there may be provision to claim for reasonable additional travel, accommodation and meal expenses.
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We recommend you contact your travel agent or travel provider regarding the best option in altering your trip. Some travel providers may provide penalty free options to amend travel arrangements, and we recommend you contact them for further details.
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Limits, conditions and exclusions apply under your policy and for full details you should refer to the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Certificate of Insurance you received when you purchased your travel insurance.
IF YOU haven't departed yet:
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If you have not yet departed, your policy includes cover for cancellation of your journey, or the unused portions of your journey, if directly affected as a result of the volcanic eruption.
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If your pre-booked travel arrangements are cancelled, delayed or rescheduled as a direct result of this event and you have not yet departed, you may be able to claim for cancellation or rearrangement of your journey (whichever is the lesser).
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We recommend you contact your travel agent travel provider regarding the best option in altering your trip. Some travel providers may provide penalty free options to amend travel arrangements, and we recommend you contact them for further details.
IF YOU PURCHASED A POLICY AFTER 11.59pm (AEST) 12TH JANUARY 2020:
Our policies do not cover claims for losses caused by something that you were aware of at the time of purchasing your policy. If you entered into a policy after 11.59pm on 12th January 2020 we would expect that this was done with an awareness of this weather event. For these policies, we will not, to the extent permitted by law, pay any claim caused by or arising from or in any way connected with the Philippines volcanic eruption.
NEXT STEPS YOU SHOULD TAKE:
Stay safe, follow instructions from authorities and monitor the media closely.
In the event of a claim covered by your policy, you must take all reasonable steps to mitigate your out of pocket expenses, particularly when altering your trip arrangements (including seeking compensation from any travel service providers), and provide all supporting documentation of the event and expenses incurred. By reasonable we mean appropriate and consistent—for example if you have been using two star or budget accommodation on your trip to date, then we advise that the replacement accommodation you seek should be of a similar standard.
