Mayon 'no man's land' law still unenforced

By Manuel T. Ugalde

LEGAZPI CITY — Albay provincial and local executives are facing criticism for allegedly ignoring a decades-old law that prohibits human habitation within the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) of Mayon Volcano, commonly referred to as the “no man’s land.”

The issue resurfaced following the ongoing Mayon unrest since early January, which once again triggered the evacuation of thousands of residents living inside the six-kilometer PDZ—an area that, by law, should have long been uninhabited. Critics point to the recurring evacuations as proof of policy failure, noting the urgency of the situation and the millions of pesos already spent by government on relocation sites and housing assistance for affected residents.

Residents recalled the events following the February 2, 1993 major Mayon eruption, when then President Fidel V. Ramos publicly castigated Albay Governor Romeo Salalima for failing to clear the PDZ after 79 farmers were killed within the declared no man’s land.

Ramos, accompanied by then Health Secretary Juan Flavier, visited Legazpi City days after the deadly eruption. At the time, the provincial government under Salalima claimed that the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) had failed to issue warnings about Mayon’s abnormality, which resulted in the deaths and injuries when the volcano suddenly erupted during lunchtime under clear weather conditions.

“We could have evacuated residents around Mayon had Phivolcs issued the usual warning,” Salalima was quoted as saying.

In response, Salalima announced plans to file a multi-million peso class suit against Phivolcs officials over the deaths of the 79 farmers and the extensive damage sustained by the province.

The February 2, 1993 explosive eruption lasted several months and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents, many of whom were housed in schools converted into evacuation centers.

President Ramos, however, squarely placed responsibility on the provincial government, faulting it for its failure to enforce the six-kilometer PDZ as a no man’s land. Phivolcs officials later admitted that there were no recorded warning signs prior to the eruption—an unprecedented event in the monitoring history of Mayon Volcano. Ramos subsequently ordered the release of millions of pesos for relocation sites and housing assistance in Legazpi City and the nearby town of Daraga.

Filipino-American journalist Cecilio Francisco, now based in California, recalled accompanying President Ramos during the post-eruption visit to Legazpi. Francisco said Ramos was deeply concerned as to why the six-kilometer PDZ remained inhabited, questioning the inaction of local executives.

Francisco, a Bicolano and a three-time former president of the Defense Press Corps during Ramos’ term as Armed Forces chief of staff, said the president also lamented the enormous costs incurred by local governments during repeated evacuations, including food expenses and the disruption of children’s education when schools are used as evacuation centers.

On January 6, Governor Noel Rosal announced that 700 families, or 2,889 individuals, residing within the PDZ would be evacuated to schools designated as evacuation centers. By January 19, however, the number had increased to 1,000 families, or about 4,000 individuals, spread across 17 evacuation centers.

Reports show that 10 barangays fall within the six-kilometer PDZ, covering four municipalities and one city: Barangays Sua, Quirangay, and Anoling in Camalig; Barangay Masarawag in Guinobatan; Barangays Calayog, Canaway, and San Roque in Malilipot; and Barangays Magapo and Buang in Tabaco City.

Many Albayanos continue to ask why thousands of residents have been allowed to remain within the hazardous PDZ for decades, despite repeated allocations of national government funds for relocation and housing assistance. Critics argue that strict enforcement of the law could have spared the government recurring expenses, logistical strain, and disruptions to education every time Mayon shows signs of unrest.

In 2019, then Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co, in an exclusive interview, said he was pushing for the complete relocation of residents within the PDZ. He cited the proposed Mayon Circumferential Road, estimated by critics to cost ₱7 billion, as part of a broader development plan.

Co made the statement in response to public opposition to the project, which the Albay Provincial Board had opposed through a majority resolution banning road construction within the eight-kilometer extended danger zone. Critics argued that road projects could encourage more settlers to occupy the PDZ.

Co countered that Mayon should have access roads and forest rangers to prevent poaching and illegal habitation, stressing that the volcano is a natural park that must be protected at all costs. Without roads, he said, protecting Mayon as a natural park—one being considered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)—would be difficult.

For decades, Mayon eruptions followed an average 10-year cycle until the pattern changed in the early 1980s, marked by more frequent volcanic activity. The 1993 eruption, which occurred without any recorded abnormal signals at the Phivolcs Mayon Observatory, remains one of the deadliest, claiming the lives of 79 farmers inside the legally declared no man’s land.