LEGAZPI: More than 1,200 hectares of farmland in Albay were potentially affected by ashfall from Mayon Volcano’s ongoing effusive eruption, with satellite analysis offering the broadest picture yet of the impact on agriculture. The Philippine Space Agency, or PhilSA, said its crop exposure map identified at least 1,230 hectares within the estimated ash deposit extent linked to the May 2 pyroclastic density current along the volcano’s Mi-isi gully, including 1,039 hectares of rice and 191 hectares of other crops.
The Department of Agriculture said field validation has so far confirmed a smaller but growing toll outside the permanent danger zone, reporting P13.02 million in agricultural damage and losses in the Bicol Region. The agency said 228 farmers had been affected across 102 hectares, with production losses reaching 364 metric tons in rice, high-value crops and livestock. The validated figures cover areas that assessment teams have been able to reach since ashfall spread over communities around Mayon earlier this month.
Part of the gap between the satellite estimate and the validated field losses stems from restricted access around the volcano. Agriculture officials said another 534.39 hectares inside the six-kilometer danger zone had not yet undergone field validation because entry remained prohibited. PhilSA said its mapping was intended to identify crop areas potentially exposed to ashfall, while the Department of Agriculture’s ground inspections are being used to establish actual losses. That distinction has become central to the government’s running assessment of damage in Albay’s farm belt.
Crop Damage Still Being Verified
Mayon remained under Alert Level 3 on Monday, with government monitoring showing that magma was still close to the crater and the volcano remained in a state of unrest. State volcanologists said the effusive eruption has continued to generate lava flows, rockfalls and collapse-fed pyroclastic density currents, including the May 2 event that sent ash over parts of Albay. Authorities have kept the six-kilometer permanent danger zone in force while maintaining evacuation preparedness in communities within an eight-kilometer radius of the volcano.
The May 2 ashfall episode affected towns west and southwest of Mayon, disrupting farming, transport and daily activity in several communities. A separate PhilSA analysis found at least 158 kilometers of roads within the estimated ashfall footprint, underscoring the wider effect on access and movement in affected areas. The Philippine Space Agency’s mapping of both barangays and crop areas has been used to support response planning as local officials and national agencies continue cleanup work, relief distribution and agricultural verification across Albay.
Mayon Relief And Recovery Efforts Expand
The Department of Social Welfare and Development said the volcanic unrest had affected a much broader population across the region beyond the farms directly hit by ashfall. As of May 6, the department reported 70,150 families, or 286,939 people, affected in 160 barangays in the Bicol Region, with 4,191 people still displaced. It said nearly P148 million worth of assistance had been provided, including food and non-food supplies, while response teams continued supporting evacuation centers and families staying temporarily with relatives or friends.
The Department of Agriculture said it is mobilizing recovery support that includes farm inputs, zero-interest loans, insurance processing and livestock assistance as damage checks continue. Officials have stressed that the 1,230-hectare figure reflects potential crop exposure derived from satellite analysis, while confirmed field losses remain subject to on-site verification. With Mayon still under Alert Level 3 and access restricted in hazard zones, the agricultural toll from the eruption is still being consolidated by national and local authorities. – By Content Syndication Services.