Mayon evacuation cost Albay P26M in damages

The recent activities of Mayon Volcano had cost the Albay government some P26.2 million in damages to agriculture and infrastructure, Governor Joey Salceda said Thursday. In a statement, Salceda estimated the worth of agricultural damages at P17 million. The figure was based on the 1,500 farmers who were unable to tend to hundreds of hectares of land during the 20-day evacuation period from December 14 to January 2. At the time, volcano was threatening to erupt, prompting the provincial government to evacuate more than 47,000 residents in five provinces and three cities located within Mayon danger zones. Mayon’s ash fall and lava flow also damaged farmlands situated in the said zones. Salceda also pegged at P9.2 million the worth of damages to schools that served as evacuation centers for the displaced families. The amount was on top of the P1.5 million the provincial government spent daily during the evacuation period. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Wednesday lowered Mayon’s alert status to Level 2, prompting Salceda to order the remaining 2,000 residents to return to their homes within the six-kilometer radius permanent danger zone. - Sophia Dedace/KBK, GMANews.TV