CITY OF SAN FERNANDO Pampanga Third Congressional District Representative Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. Has urged the regional offices of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to take emergency measures to prevent landslides in communities around Mount Arayat situated in the municipality of Arayat, Pampanga.
Gonzales over the weekend met with officials of the two agencies in preparation for the onslaught of tropical storm "Paeng" and tropical depression “Queenie”.
He said residents of Barangay San Juan Baño have complained that landslides and debris flows from the summit of the mountain occur whenever there is a typhoon or heavy rains.
He appealed to the local government of Arayat and the provincial government of Pampanga to help the DPWH and the DENR prevent such occurrences.
Officials of DENR and DPWH told Gonzales that at the height of super typhoon Karding, continuous rainfall caused landslides from Mount Arayat’s summit.
They said the heavy downpour produced a large volume of surface runoff, generating rainwater and debris avalanches.
The provincial government of Pampanga ordered the creation of Mount Arayat Community Safety Task Force to ensure the safety of residents living near the mountain.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Counc PDRRMC has established a Landslide Early Warning System that alerts high-risk communities through barangay-wide sirens and public address systems.
The Mines and Geosciences Bureau MGB is continuously monitoring the area.
Gonzales supported the measures that have already been taken by the DPWH, DENR, Arayat local government and the Pampanga provincial government.
The congressman said he will consult House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez for the funding of programs to protect Mount Arayat residents.
Officials who attended the meeting included Board Member Alyssa Michaela "Mica" Gonzales, DPWH Assistant Regional Director Denise Maria Ayag, Engineer Arthur Santos, and District Engineer Almer Miranda.