LEGAZPI CITY, Albay – Farmers from four barangays in Camalig, Albay are facing total crop loss after their farmlands were blanketed by ashfall reaching up to two to three inches thick from the eruption of Mayon Volcano on Saturday.

In a phone interview with the Manila Bulletin, Camalig Mayor Caloy Baldo confirmed that agricultural areas in Barangays Anoling, Quirangay, Tumpa, and Sua have been severely affected, leaving farmers with nothing to harvest.

“That is our problem now. All the vegetables planted by our farmers will not yield anything,” Baldo said in Bicolano.

According to the mayor, affected barangays serve as major sources of vegetables in Camalig markets.

Among the crops devastated by ashfall were sayote, ampalaya, Baguio beans, and string beans, most of which were recently planted before being buried under volcanic ash.

Ashfall has forced residents within the seven-kilometer Extended Danger Zone to evacuate.

Families from Barangays Quirangay and Anoling have been relocated to evacuation centers in Tagaytay and Bariw.

Baldo estimated that around 250 families – or more than 1,000 individuals – evacuated during the ashfall, adding to the number of residents who fled earlier when the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised Mayon Volcano’s alert status to Level 3.

The local government has distributed food packs to affected residents.

A second wave of assistance is planned for the hardest-hit barangays, including Quirangay, Sua, and Tumpa, while a food-for-work program is scheduled to roll out next week.

Government agencies are now working together to mitigate the impact of the disaster and Baldo hopes for sustained support as the situation may persist.

Programs such as the government Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) initiative are expected to provide additional aid to displaced farmers.

The mayor appealed for more face masks as current supplies are insufficient for prolonged use amid the ashfall.

Authorities continue to monitor the situation as residents cope with displacement and the loss of livelihood caused by Mayon.