Albay Police Guard Evacuation Sites As Mayon Ashfall Response Continues

Police in Albay have intensified disaster-response and security operations after Mayon Volcano's recent activity, including a May 2 pyroclastic density current event that triggered emergency protocols, according to the Manila Bulletin. Police Regional Office 5 said officers are guarding evacuation areas, manning checkpoints and patrolling abandoned homes while ashfall and low visibility disrupt affected communities.

The Details

PRO-5 spokesperson Lt. Col. Maria Luisa Calubaquib said the Albay Police Provincial Office's Kasurog DEAR disaster team was deployed immediately after the May 2 event, according to the Manila Bulletin. Calubaquib said additional personnel from regional headquarters were placed on standby as ashfall and low visibility affected roads in the province.

The police response has two linked tasks: disaster assistance for residents who left affected areas and security for communities that were temporarily emptied. Manila Bulletin reported that officers remained visible at evacuation sites, checkpoints and abandoned residential areas in Albay on May 4. Philippine News Agency listings carried by Google News also indicated that police were securing evacuation sites and patrolling abandoned homes in Albay, supporting the central account.

"Even in evacuation areas, we maintain a security presence. Our personnel continue patrolling abandoned homes to ensure that the communities left behind are protected," Calubaquib said, according to the Manila Bulletin. Police said the patrols were meant to deter looting and protect evacuees' property while residents stayed away from affected neighborhoods.

A separate Manila Bulletin report said then-PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. ordered the mobilization of police personnel and resources for the Mayon ashfall response on May 3. The report said the order covered checkpoints, patrols, face-mask distribution and enforcement around the six-kilometer danger zone.

"We have mobilized sufficient number of personnel and resources to assist in the conduct of disaster response protocols and ensure maximum visibility in affected communities, and we will be sending more once needed," Nartatez said, according to the Manila Bulletin. The statement tied the police deployment to emergency response protocols and visible security in affected communities.

Manila Bulletin also reported that PRO-5 supported the Department of Social Welfare and Development in distributing relief goods. The same report said police deployed a desalination truck in Barangay Travesia in Guinobatan to support access to drinking water.

The May 2 activity included thick ash and a pyroclastic density current event, according to the Manila Bulletin's timeline of the response. Google News listings for Philippine News Agency coverage also showed related reporting that thick ashfall affected 52 villages in Albay and that the PNP mobilized officers and resources amid the Mayon unrest.

Context

DOST-PHIVOLCS said Mayon was under Alert Level 3 in early February 2026, with hazards including pyroclastic density currents, rockfalls and increased gas emissions. That official hazard context matches the conditions cited in the Albay police response, including the reported pyroclastic density current event and ashfall.

The police operations described by PRO-5 are part of the local response to residents leaving affected communities after Mayon's activity, according to the Manila Bulletin. The security component is focused on evacuation areas and homes left behind, while the disaster-response component includes personnel deployment, road-related support and assistance tied to relief distribution.

The sourcing record includes direct Manila Bulletin reporting, a PHIVOLCS press release for hazard context and Philippine News Agency coverage visible through Google News listings. The direct PNA pages were not accessible from the research environment, but the Google News listings corroborated the central claims about evacuation-site security, patrols of abandoned homes, ashfall effects in Albay and PNP mobilization.

What's Next

PRO-5 said more personnel from regional headquarters were on standby after the May 2 event, according to the Manila Bulletin. Nartatez also said the PNP would send more personnel if needed, tying any expansion of the response to conditions on the ground.

Police said they would continue maintaining security in evacuation areas and patrolling abandoned homes in affected communities, according to the Manila Bulletin. The reviewed reports did not quantify how many evacuation centers or homes were being patrolled at the time of publication.

PHIVOLCS' Alert Level 3 hazard context remains the official reference point in the brief for risks including pyroclastic density currents, rockfalls and increased gas emissions. The police response described in the May 3 and May 4 reports is organized around those Mayon-related hazards and the evacuations and road disruptions that followed the recent activity.