Wednesday, November 21, 2007 Coastal families urged to relocate By Danilo V. Adorador III
AS RAINS continue to batter the region for several days now, families living in several islets off the Cagayan de Oro delta are in "grave danger" and should be permanently relocated to safer areas, an official from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) said.
Connected to the mainland only by makeshift bridges -- some of which are already torn down -- the islets are home to hundreds of illegal settlers who ignore the occasional flow of the Cagayan de Oro river and even the warning of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that the small mass of floating lands are uninhabitable.
Isla de Oro, the most populated of all the islets, is home to around 500 families and is connected to Barangay Consolacion by a hanging bridge -- the only one to have at least a stable way across.
Such disregard could be fatal once the river rises to an unprecedented level, MGB-Northern Mindanao chief research specialist Paul C. Salise warned.
"What if water rises beyond the usual expectation and the light-made bridges are washed away? People living in the islets could be trapped and be overwhelmed by the water," Salise said.
The official briefed Misamis Oriental Governor Oscar Moreno on the floods that occurred in several towns west of the province.
Salise explained that the DENR classified the islets not fit for habitation because they are only composed of soft earth materials and there therefore, "no solid structural integrity."
"Under heavy rains and continuous flooding, these islets can sink--along with whatever is on top of them," he said. "You just can't keep on evacuating people.
In this case, you have to permanently relocate these families."
Mayor Constantino Jaraula had earlier said the islets would be utilized for tourism purposes. The mayor, however, did not say whether the present occupants would be evicted from the islets, and the City Hall has yet to come out a detailed plan to convert the area into a tourism value.
Salise said the MGB and the DENR have long suggested the relocation of the families living on the islets--to no avail.
He said the two agencies have also suggested the relocation of families in several riverbank communities in Misamis Oriental--such as in the case of Lugait town, whose center is once part of the river plains.
Over the week, flooding in Lugait and neighboring Manticao town has already displaced over 600 families. Crops -- mostly corn and vegetables -- and properties damaged by floods had already reached P9,449,000 as of Monday, records from the Provincial Social Welfare Office show.
However, the Capitol said Tuesday the evacuees have started going back to their homes as the water began to recede at tolerable level.
