Duterte wants Cagayan mining, logging probed

MANILA, Philippines, November 16 ------ President Duterte yesterday ordered the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to look into the mining and logging activities in Cagayan Valley, after various parts of the region were inundated by floods spawned by Typhoon Ulysses. During a briefing on the impact of Ulysses in Cagayan, Duterte said mining causes holes that can loosen the soil, which in turn may place some residents at risk.

“It props up every now and then. I will direct here General Cimatu to look into the illegal mining, especially where the people are building their shelters downwards,” Duterte said, referring to DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu. “If... the possibility is not there for them to stop, at least General Cimatu should devise a way where they can place their houses well above the rolling stones if they come,” he added. Duterte vowed to boost forest protection efforts against illegal logging and mining to prevent a repeat of the disaster.

Cimatu said they issued a cease-and-desist order on illegal small-scale mining operations following the massive flooding in Cagayan Valley, and said that 10 of the casualties in the region were reported at illegal mining sites. In a separate meeting with Cabinet members and local officials in Camarines Sur, Duterte expressed support for the Bicol River Basin development proposal, which local officials said would help prevent floods. “Avoid committees. Look for the guy that is really competent and knows his business and he will put his heart to it. If I say finish it, finish it. Frankly, I can get that kind of response from the military. One word is enough,” the President said.

State of calamity

A state of calamity was declared in Tuguegarao City following three weeks of widespread flooding wrought by six successive typhoons and tail-end rains yesterday. The City Council Resolution 252-08 said that Tuguegarao was “90 percent inundated displacing large number of residents, causing damage to livelihood, livestock and properties, disruption of public facilities and utilities” brought by torrential rains of typhoons Pepito, Quinta, Rolly, Siony, Tonyo and Ulysses.

Widespread flooding and landslides unleashed by Ulysses left 22 dead in Cagayan Valley, according to latest reports bared by the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD). The drowning of a one-year-old baby and an 80-year-old man in Barangay Cabiroan, Gonzaga and Brgy. Linao during the height of floods respectively last Friday were the new incidents confirmed by the OCD. Also last Friday evening, Kelly Villarao, a rescuer from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources was electrocuted with three companions when their boat hit an electric post in Linao.

Villarao died on the scene while his companions were rushed to hospital. Ten landslide fatalities were reported in Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya and two confirmed deaths from drowning in Benito Soliven and Angadanan town in Isabela. The provinces of Cagayan and Isabela also declared their own state of calamity last Saturday. At least 5,000 residents from 12 submerged barangays were displaced, a report from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office said.

With floodwaters still high, the Philippine Coast Guard-North Eastern Luzon District (PCG-NEL) yesterday morning recovered two bodies in Alcala, Cagayan. PCG spokesperson Commodore Armand Balilo said the two fatalities were a 49-year-old male and a 45-year-old female. It was only last Saturday when Coast Guard rescue teams reached Alcala. They first coordinated with the local government for a “systematic” method of rescue operations.

In Ilocos Norte, Coast Guard personnel yesterday extended help to an 83-year-old dialysis patient and safely transported her from her flooded house in Barangay Apusing Daga to Barangay Abbeg, Alcala, Cagayan. They also rendered assistance to a stroke patient who they carefully brought to the nearest evacuation center. As of 5 p.m. of Nov. 14, the PCG NEL reported that during their widespread rescue operations, they have extended assistance to more or less 400 residents in Cagayan and Isabela. As of 1:45 p.m. of Saturday, the PCG has sent augmentation teams to Cagayan and Isabela provinces consisting of 120 personnel, including the Deployable Response Teams (DRGs), a medical team consisting of one doctor and three nurses, two K9 units, and logistics support and security teams.

Source: philstar.com