A ranking solon has called on the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to take preventive measures against landslides that endanger the families living near Mt. Arayat in Pampanga.
Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. made the call to the agencies during his meeting with its officials following the severe tropical storm (STS) Paeng’s onslaught.
Gonzales, a representative of Pampanga’s third district, said he met with DPWH and DENR officials after receiving complaints from residents of Barangay San Juan Baño in Arayat town.
Residents told the congressman about the occurrence of landslides and debris flows coming from Mt. Arayat’s summit during heavy rains caused by recent typhoons.
Gonzales learned from regional officials of the two agencies that the continued rainfall also caused landslides at the height of Super Typhoon “Karding” in September of this year.
They said the heavy downpour produced a large volume of surface runoff, generating rainwater and debris avalanches.
The landslides caused by Karding at the summit, widening the debris field there, had put in danger the lives of 1,531 families, according to local officials.
With this, Gonzales appealed to the local and provincial governments of Arayat to work with the DPWH and DENR.
The Provincial Government of Pampanga has already ordered the creation of Mt. Arayat Community Safety Task Force to ensure the safety of residents.
At the same time, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) has established a Landslide Early Warning System that alerts high-risk communities through barangay-wide sirens and public address systems.
DENR’s Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau (MGB), for its part, monitors the area and conducts inspections and surveys.
On the other hand, the DPWH has proposed the installation of debris flow barriers along Sapang Maeyagas creek. These barriers are composed of interlinked rings able to stop larger debris flow materials and absorb energy, in which water and other small materials may pass through the system.
Other recommendations include construction of slope protection structures, delineation and avoidance of risk areas, installation of effective early warning devices and evacuation, dredging and maintenance of original drainage and water flow, and clearing creeks.
Gonzales said he was supportive of all of these measures. Arayat is part of his congressional district in Pampanga.
Present during the meeting DPWH Assistant Regional Director Denise Maria Ayag, Engr. Arthur Santos, and District Engr. Almer Miranda.
The DENR was represented by Regional Director Paquito Moreno Jr., Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) Perlita Mulato, Noel Lacadin and Renz Lazatin of MGB, and Roger Encarnacion and Romel Santiago of the PENRO office.