LEGAZPI CITY, Jan 16 (PNA) – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has reminded local governments in Bicol to review their respective geological hazard maps.
This is intended to determine which portion of their localities are prone to floods or landslides amidst the La Niña phenomenon.
Most of the Bicol local government units (LGUs) have been provided with the geohazard maps prepared by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the DENR as early as 2009.
This followed its massive hazard mapping activities to determine areas vulnerable to natural disasters.
These maps were prepared to be used as tools to help local governments in their disaster risk reduction and mitigation programs.
"This is why local officials should not just leave it earning dust in one corner of their offices," DENR regional executive director Marcus Joselin Fragada said here on Monday.
Fragada said: “They should use it and refer to it in identifying places and communities that need special attention in their anti-calamity preparations.
"While we in the DENR have already provided them the maps and taught them on how to use it, the responsibility of using it is now laid on the hands of the local officials.”
The LGUs that have been provided with the geohazard maps, according to MGB regional director Luis Loyola, include all the Albay towns of Camalig, Daraga, Guinobatan, Jovellar, Libon, Malilipot, Malinao, Manito, Oas, Pioduran, Polangui, Rapu-Rapu, Tiwi and the cities of Legazpi, Ligao and Tabaco.
In Camarines Norte, its 12 towns--Basud, Daet, Capalonga, Jose Panganiban, Labo, Mercedes, Paracale, San Lorenzo Ruiz, San Vicente, Sta Elena, Talisay and Vinzons -- have the maps.
In Masbate, the towns of Aroroy, Balud, Cataingan, Cawayan, Dimasalang, Placer, Masbate City and Uson also have the maps.
In Camarines Sur, all its 35 towns--Baao, Balatan, Bato, Bombon, Buhi, Bula, Cabusao, Calabanga, Camaligan, Canaman, Caramoan, Del Gallego, Gainza, Garchitorena, Goa, Lagonoy, Libmanan, Lupi, Magarao, Milaor, Minalabac, Nabua, Ocampo, Pamplona, Pasacao, Pili, Presentation, Ragay, Sagnay, San Fernardo, San Jose, Sipocot, Siruma, Tigaon and Tinambac -- and two cities-- Iriga and Naga -- are also provided with the maps, according to Fragada.
The towns of Barcelona, Bulan, Bulusan, Casiguran, Castila, Gubat, Irosin, Juban, Magallanes, Matnog, Sta. Magdalena and Sorsogon City in Sorsogon and Gigmoto, Pandan, San Miguel and Viga in Catanduanes have their maps as well.
There are some towns in the region -- in Masbate and Catanduanes -- which have not been provided with the maps.
Loyola explained these towns, like all the six in the islands of Ticao and Burias of Masbate and seven in Catanduanes, are not considered flood or landslide-prone.
For LGUs which have not yet claimed their geohazard maps from the MGB, Loyola said they can claim theirs at the regional Geosciences Division in digital format (JPEG or BMP formats) at Php500 per geohazard theme.
The different geohazard themes are landslide susceptibility, flood hazard, liquefaction potential and ground subsidence/ground settlement susceptibility maps, Loyola added.
Fragada said LGUs covering some gold panning areas such as in Jose Panganiban, Paracale, and Labo in Camarines Norte and Aroroy, Baleno and Mobo in Masbate should learn an example from the latest incident of landslide in Pantukan, Campostela Valley where scores were killed in the gold panning community hit by the calamity.
Following the calamity, Fragada said DENR Sec. Ramon Paje, had called on LGUs to desist from issuing small scale mining permits in their areas.
The DENR has decided against issuing any Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) that is required before starting with mining operations.
Under the mining law, local government units are given jurisdictions over the issuance of permits to small scale mining operations in their respective localities while the MGB and the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), also of the DENR, just serve as monitors in the compliance of law by mining firms, he said.
Moves are now being initiated toward the amendment of the Mining Act to remove that privilege from LGUs because of the indiscriminate issuances of permits without properly considering environmental hazards, the DENR regional chief revealed.
Other towns that need to be extra vigilant are the Sorsogon towns of Irosin, Juban and Casiguran near Bulusan Volcano, Magallanes where several barangays were identified landslide risk and Sorsogon City.
The provincial capital city is at risk because flashfloods are likely from the mountains covered by the operations of geothermal energy facilities of the Energy Development Corporation (EDC). (PNA)
RMA/HBC/DOC/cbd