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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Luzon devider Davao de Oro vice gov denies allowing residents to return to no-build zone 

Davao de Oro vice gov denies allowing residents to return to no-build zone 

Published Feb 15, 2024 05:10 am

DAVAO CITY – Davao de Oro Vice Gov. Jayvee Tyron Uy has denied allowing the return of residents in no-build zones in the province, particularly in the landslide-hit Barangay Masara in the town of Maco.

VICE GOV. UY.jpg

UY

Uy, governor from 2016 to 2022, issued the clarification following the statement of Gov. Dorothy Gonzaga saying that residents have been living in the area long before she was elected.

Since she assumed office in 2022, Gonzaga said that she has been reminding mayors and concerned agencies to regularly monitor high-risk areas due to a series of earthquakes.

Gonzaga added that it has been the priority of her administration to find relocation sites for communities in high-risk areas.

The vice governor denied the governor's statement, saying that he did not order the return of residents to Masara.

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau-Davao said that Masara was declared a no-build zone following a landslide in 2008 that killed 24 people.

Uy said that residents have been relocated in Barangay Kinuban in Maco following the landslide in 2008.

Even his father, Arturo, governor from 2010 to 2016, did not order the return of villagers.

"We cannot blame the residents who insisted to return because their livelihood depends on the mining operations in the area," the vice governor said.

Uy said that residents and local government officials may have been overconfident since there were no major landslides for a long time.

He added there were landslides in the province but were not reported by the media as there were no casualties.

Aside from Masara, many parts of the province have been tagged geohazards due to high susceptibility to rain-induced landslides, MGB said.

As of 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 14, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Office of Maco reported that 85 bodies have been retrieved.

Search and retrieval operations continue to locate over 30 others missing in the nine-hectare landslide site.

MDRRMO-Maco also reported that at least 55 houses have been buried in soil and debris with an equivalent height of a three-story building.

While the province does not have existing ordinances that prohibit building of structures in no-build zones, Uy said that the responsibility to determine the safety of constituents is on the municipal level.

He added that it is the municipality that issues permits prior to the construction of any structures in certain areas.

The vice governor bared that several structures have been built in Masara, including the barangay hall, market, and a school.

In an interview with GMA-News Davao, Uy said that the governor's husband and Davao de Oro Rep. Ruwel Peter Gonzaga funded the construction of the barangay hall.

He said that the barangay hall was among the structures buried in the landslide.

"Why they did not correct it if they found some mistakes? Why did they allow the construction of some structures?" Uy asked.

The two-story barangay hall was inaugurated in November 2021 according to the lawmaker's Facebook page. "Let us be vigilant against misinformation," Uy said.

Related Tags

Landslide Maco Vice Gov. Jayvee Tyron Uy Davao de Oro
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