Wednesday, April 09, 2008 Oledan: Public safety By Radzini Oledan Slice of life
IN CASE of doubt, don't.
For several months, residents below the Ma-a Shrine Hills have raised alarm over the aggressive subdivision development in their area. Two major private developers, Crown Communities Subdivision and the DM Consunji-Updi, are in the initial stages of development along the Ma-a ridge.
The Environmental Watch Committee of Barangay Ma-a Federatjon of Homeowners Association Inc. has warned that the development of the hillside portion of the Ma-a Shrine Hills is "inherently dangerous."
He cited three geo-hazard surveys of the Shrine hillside, which cites that there are "inherent risks of avalanche and mass movement" to residents in many places, regardless of additional subdivision development.
It also cited hillside slope angles, soil composition and adhesion problems, monsoon rains and likelihood of earthquakes as risk factors.
"Such construction activities may trigger floods, landslides, and ultimately death," says Willie Mosqueda, consultant to the federation. "When you consider building on a hillside with an overall slope of 18 percent or greater and with substructure and soil of the nature here, it will be extremely expensive and difficult to control mass movement over time, if at all."
Where the safety of the public are at stake, proposed development projects have to be carefully evaluated.
National agencies are mouthing mitigating measures like sound engineering and proper monitoring by government agencies such as the Housing Land Use and Regulatory Board (HLURB) as an assurance for safety.
We also heard the position of DMC-Updi, which stressed that the problem on flooding lies outside their development site and that they are doing everything to install corrective measures within the property.
But across the varying opinions and positions is the fact that until this time, the application for the preliminary approval for locational clearance (PALC) has not been issued to the private developers.
Issues have to be marked down and differentiated from mere posturing and positioning.
