Gov to DENR: Assess earthquake-hit areas
ITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Gov. Lilia ‘Nanay’Pineda re urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and other partner-agencies for the immediate inspection and assessment of quake-hit areas in the province.
PinedapersonallyaskedMGB Chief Geologist Noel Lacadin to conduct a ground assessment in Aeta community settlements in the upland areas of Floridablanca and Porac towns.
Weshouldknowthestate of our lands in the province so that we would know what immediate actions can be done,” Pineda said.
Based on the findings of DENR-MGB, the quake left two landslide high-risk areas under their radar.
MGB disclosed that at least two barangays – Sitio Tagak, Barangay Nabuclod in Floridablanca and Barangay Dias in Porac town – were placed under the “no habitation zone” due to very high risk of landslides.
According to Lacadin, landslide and geohazard threat advisories were already given to respective barangay officials and Local Disaster and Risk Reduction and Management (LDRRM) officers of the concerned areas for immediate action and compliance.
WearenotdeprivingtheAetasfromtheir right to stay in their ancestral lands. We have reminded them that these areas are identified as no habitation zones, but they can still be used for cultivation,” Lacadin clarified.
Vice Governor Dennis “Delta” Pineda, meanwhile, said he already tapped the help of the national housing agency, other partner agencies, private sectors, and stakeholders for the construction of an evacuation site for the Aet as.
Lacadin also asks officials to maximize the use of the geohazard maps for disaster management and mitigation.