Ashfall from Mayon Volcano spreads to Legazpi villages
LIGAO CITY—Light ashfall was reported in several villages in Legazpi City on Monday night due to continuing pyroclastic density current events at Mayon Volcano.
Reyven Baytan, a resident of Barangay Matanag, said the ashfall began around 8 p.m. and lasted for nearly an hour.
Initial validation by the Legazpi Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office showed that villages in the northern part of the city were affected, including Barangay 45 (Dita), Barangay 48 (Bagong Abre), Barangay 51 (Buyoan), Barangay 52 (Matanag), and Rawis.
Mayor Hisham Ismail ordered the distribution of N95 face masks to residents in the affected areas and advised the public to stay indoors as a precaution.
In Malilipot town, two fishponds were covered by ashfall, but the impact was minimal.
“The tilapia were harvested, while the smaller ones were transferred to containers for survival,” said municipal agriculturist Romela Espiloy Montesinay.
Quakes, ‘uson’
Mayon remained under alert level 3 after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded continued volcanic activity in the past 24 hours, including 13 volcanic earthquakes, 340 rockfall events, and 45 pyroclastic density currents or “uson,” with sulfur dioxide emissions of 3,061 tons.
Dr. Paul Karson Alanis, resident volcanologist at the Ligñon Hill Mayon Observatory Station, said that despite the continuing activity, monitoring parameters show no new magma intrusion.
Government agencies in the region intensified preparedness measures by conducting simulation exercises under the Mayon Eruption 2026 Joint Operations at the Provincial Disaster Operations Center.
Jessar Adornado, Bicol assistant regional director of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), said the exercises aimed to strengthen communication systems and reporting for faster medical and emergency responses in evacuation centers across Albay.
Animal pooling
Dr. Pancho R. Mella, Albay provincial veterinarian at the Albay Veterinary Office, said in a private message that animals from three barangays—Matnog, Banadero, and Budiao in Daraga town—were pooled as part of contingency preparations.
Meanwhile, the Albay Provincial Agriculture Office reported that at least 1,816.823 hectares of crops were affected by ashfall and other volcanic impacts in Malilipot, Bacacay, Legazpi City, Daraga, Camalig, Guinobatan, and Tabaco City, directly affecting 2,279 farmers and operators.
Provincial agriculturist Cheryll Rebeta said the damaged crops included rice, abaca, coconut, vegetables and corn. Asfall also blanketed several other fishponds in the province.
Police Lt. Col. Maria Luisa Calubaquib, Bicol police spokesperson, said the Police Regional Office 5 activated its enhanced contingency and deployment plan for the rapid mobilization of personnel to secure communities in case the alert level is raised.
