AN OFFICIAL from the Office of Civil Defense-Davao Region (OCD-Davao) said that there should be a law on the regulations set by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).
Ednar G. Dayanghirang, regional director of OCD-Davao, said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw, on Monday, February 19, 2024, at SM Ecoland, that if it's only an ordinance, the MGB recommendations will only be effective in the locality unlike when there is a law where it becomes a national issue rather than just a regional one.
“If I am to recommend, there should be a law, a law that should put teeth, ngipon kining mga MGB regulations because these entails lives of people (If I am to recommend there should be a law, a law that should put teeth, teeth on the MGB regulations because these entails the lives of people),” he said.
Dayanghirang added that aside from Masara in Davao de Oro, several areas in the Philippines suffered from landslides such as Naga, Southern Leyte, and the Mountain Province. He expressed that an ordinance is all right, but since these are a national problem, a legislative action to enforce the regulations of the MGB is necessary.
He pointed out that once it becomes a law, anyone can file a case using it and then the court can penalize the violator thus, preventing people from staying in areas that are recommended by the MGB as a no-build zone.
“I think we should be moving forward toward strategic solutions to local issues kasi national man ang scope [because the scope is national],” he said.
Capter John Tubo, Senior Supervising Geologist of MGB-Davao, agreed with Dayanghirang that the need for a law on land should be crafted saying, “I think that would be, isa na siya kanang maresolba ang kani nga issue (I think that would be one of the things that will resolve this issue).”
Dayanghirang said that in March 2024, there will be a council meeting of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC), and 44 agencies and 55 local government units will participate. He emphasized that they would discuss the facts provided to them by the MGB-Davao.
To recall, Masara was designated as a "No Build Zone" by MGB-Davao in 2008, and the area has been classified as a critical area due to its geographic location and the presence of volcaniclastics, a type of soil composed of volcanic rock fragments such as agglomerate, tuff, and specific other rocks.
However, despite their recommendation, several people still reside in the area. RGP
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