Duterte urged to act after typhoon wreaks havoc
President says illegal mining, logging added to massive flooding in Philippines
Philippine authorities on Monday urged President Rodrigo Duterte to place Luzon island under a state of calamity after three typhoons caused widespread devastation in the area.
About 110 people were killed after Typhoons Molave, Goni and Vamco cut through Manila, Bicol, the Cagayan Valley and other parts of Luzon in recent weeks.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said it had convened an emergency meeting on Monday to address the impacts of the three typhoons, which caused billions of pesos in damage.
“It was agreed during the meeting to convene a technical working group of the joint prevention, mitigation and preparedness clusters of the NDRRMC,” the council said in a statement.
NDRRMC Chairman and Philippines Defense Secretary Delfin
Lorenzana, who chaired the meeting, instructed the state weather bureau to revisit its historical data to “strengthen typhoon warnings beforehand.”
On Sunday, Duterte ordered Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu to examine illegal mining and logging activities in the Cagayan Valley in northern Luzon, following intense flooding in the Isabela and Cagayan provinces.
Days of heavy rain brought by Typhoon Vamco and the monsoon-inundated Cagayan Valley in the northern Philippines turned parts of the region into an “ocean.” There was a pause in rescue efforts for flood victims on Monday after the floodwaters subsided, but relief operations continued.
The president emphasized the need to control illegal mining activities as it “causes holes that loosen the soil,” placing residents in the area at risk.
“It props up every now and then. I will direct Cimatu to look into the illegal mining, especially where people are building their shelters downwards,” Duterte said during a briefing on the impact of Vamco on Cagayan.
“If it’s not possible for them to stop, at least Cimatu should devise a way where they can place their houses above rolling stones, if they come,” he added.
Cimatu, in response, said authori
ties had already issued a cease-anddesist order against illegal smallscale mining operations following the intense flooding in Cagayan. He added that the 10 people killed by landslides in the region were in illegal mining sites. “There’s no mining area given permit. These areas where people died are used for illegal mining. So we have filed cases already and a ceaseand-desist order,” said Cimatu.
In the same briefing, Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba expressed hope that the government would lead greening schemes in Sierra Madre and Cordillera to help conserve the mountains and reduce the effects of devastating typhoons. Earlier, Duterte had assured the public that the government was “doing its best to prevent a repeat of the disaster.”
Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano told the president that he and Cimatu already had plans for a treeplanting initiative to provide a long-term approach to minimize severe flooding in the country.
“So we are 110 million Filipinos. If we can plant 100 million per every six months, that’s 200 million a year. So we are planning and can start in January,” said Ano. Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade also recommended continuing and improving reforestation programs in the country, along with conducting dredging activities in the Cagayan River.