‘POLITICS’ GOT IN THE WAY IN NAGA
A notice of demolition was issued for houses in Sitio Sindulan, Barangay Tina-an in the City of Naga in 2009 yet Former mayor admits asking Apo Land not to proceed with the demolition after he was approached by residents
As early as 2009, Apo Land and Quarry Corp. had asked for the demolition of houses in Sitio Sindulan, Barangay Tina-an.
But politics got in the way, admitted former City of Naga mayor Valdemar “Val” Chiong.
“During that time, the residents approached me for help. They didn’t want their houses to be demolished. So I asked Apo to reconsider on their behalf,” he said in Cebuano during a live interview with radio dySS yesterday.
The ex-mayor lamented that because the private firm has been operating in the city for several years, he did not anticipate any calamity like the massive landslide last Sept. 20 that killed 72 persons (as of 6 p.m., Sept. 29).
“There was a notice of demolition for Sindulan. I guess I am guilty because I had asked Apo not to implement it. The company even started planting trees in Sindulan. It then left the area and moved farther up because I had asked it to after the residents appealed to me. Residents of Sindulan know their houses were up for demolition back then but then I approached Apo on their behalf,” he said in Cebuano.
Val, though, stressed that the case was different nine years later.
“During the first term of (incumbent Mayor) Kristine (Vanessa Chiong), there was no word to evacuate the residents of Sindulan,” he said in Cebuano.
Geohazard threat advisories
Mayor Chiong, Val’s daughter, reiterated that her office did not receive any threat advisory from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) 7.
Posted on MGB 7’s website, two geohazard threat advisories issued on Aug. 13 and 22 this year contained letters from MGB 7 Director Loreto Alburo, warning Chiong that landslides and flooding could occur in the city due to rains and thunderstorms from July to September.
But instead of pointing fingers, the mayor wants to focus on the relocation of the survivors.
As of yesterday, there were 6,972 individuals in different evacuation sites.
The proposed relocation sites are in Sitio Tapon, Barangay Tina-an and the Balili property, also in the same barangay.
National Housing Authority (NHA) General Manager Marcelino Escalada said they plan to construct 360 permanent housing units if the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) certifies that the areas are safe.
“The one from Gawad Kalinga is susceptible to flooding. The Balili property may be used, but there are mitigating measures we need to take. NHA also wants to know if it is okay for storm surge or is it along fault lines,” Chiong said.
Because the delineation of danger zones is still ongoing, Chiong said she sought the advice of DENR 7 Executive Director Gilbert Gonzales on whether families living outside the affected area can now return home.
Five barangays in Naga were affected by the landslide. These are Tina-an, Inoburan, Mainit, Naalad and Cabungahan.
A mandatory evacuation was implemented last week on residents living inside the one-kilometer radius of ground zero.
“Gonzales told me, ‘Mayor, as
Duna nay notice of demolition kanang nagpuyo gani sa Sindulan. Sad-an tingay ko kay ako mang gihangyo ang Apo nga ayaw na lang. Mao to nibiya sila anang lugara. Ila naman gani nang gisugdan og tree-planting. Ningadto sila sa unahan gamay kay tungod nihangyo ta kay nihangyo man sad ang mga taw. Kabalo ana ang mga taga-Sindulan nga demolition sila unya nanghangyo ta. FORMER CITY OF NAGA MAYOR VALDEMAR CHIONG
of now, stay put. We will make the necessary recommendations.’ That is the recent information I can provide now,” the mayor said.
PDNA reactivated
Last Friday, the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, led by the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), reactivated the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA).
Its aim is to come up with programs that will help with the rehabilitation of landslide-stricken areas in the City of Naga.
OCD 7 Director Concepcion Ornopia said the PDNA was first created to help the survivors of super typhoon Yolanda.
“The PDNA will assess the immediate, medium-term and longterm needs. What we will address are the immediate needs,” she said in Cebuano.
Meanwhile, Baltazar Tribunalo Jr., Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office chief and head of the Incident Command Center, said that they will continue with the search and retrieval operation, but they hope to find the 11 missing persons today.
He said they will halt the operation in two to three weeks.
He said he hopes the public will understand that even though they want to find the missing persons, they cannot endanger the lives of the more than 400 responders.
In a related development, the MGB 7 said that aside from determining the cause of the landslide, a team from its central office started assessing the possible relocation sites for the survivors, including the one at the Balili property. /