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Tuesday, May 20, 2008
City gov't brushes off MGB warning
DAVAO CITY -- The City Government of Davao has ignored calls of the Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau (MGB) for residents of one of its barangays to evacuate to safer areas.
MGB has earlier reported that Barangay Mamali sits on a dangerous ground being at the end point of the Philippine fault.
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The government's reaction is not because it does not believe in the finding but because it cannot do anything about it.
In a phone interview Monday morning, Mati's chief executive assistant Richard Villacorte said all they can do is pray and that they will just have to accept if it's God's will to "clean the City of Mati".
"Para naman kasing cleansing process ng Diyos yang mga catastrophe eh. Wala na talaga tayong magagawa nyan if magkaroon man ng natural disaster dito. We just pray na lang (A catastrophe is like a cleansing process from God. We can't do anything if a natural disaster happens here. We just have to pray)," Villacorte said.
MGB officials said the presence of the end point of the Philippine fault in Mamali, Mati City, poses a great risk in the city.
"It is very active, and the area is very unstable," MGB Southern Mindanao chief Edilberto Arreza said.
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Mati barangay sits on active fault
Based on the preliminary findings of MGB Southern Mindanao, sliding of rocks in the area is already visible. The area has been categorized as "eminent" and will be subject to a more detailed geohazard mapping by the bureau.
In a text message, MGB Southern Mindanao chief geologist Dindin Velasco said worst-case scenario for an area at the end point of a fault is the occurrence of ground ruptures and liquefaction.
"Yung mag-rip open ang lupa (If the land will rip open), very catastrophic. Another very bad effect is liquefaction. If you have buildings on top of a liquefaction-prone area they will topple over. Also major landslides, because faulted areas are usually heavily fractured," Velasco said.
Velasco said it would be best for Mamali residents to evacuate to safer areas. She said that even Mati poblacion, which is about 18 kilometers away from Mamali, is also susceptible to the same hazards.
She said the best mitigating measure is for the implementation of proper design and engineering in all of the buildings in the said city and to avoid construction within five meters from both sides of the fault.
Other than the city of Mati, MGB Southern Mindanao is also looking at the municipalities of Don Marcelino and Bansalan, both in Davao del Sur as geohazard prone areas. (BOT of Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Baguio. (May 20, 2008 issue)
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