Bobby Lagsa/Inquirer Mindanao
Cagayan de Oro Mayor Vicente Emano is fast-tracking the development of a 9-hectare relocation site for former residents of flood-prone areas like river deltas along the Cagayan River.
“This is in line with President Aquino’s directive not to allow people to live in flood-prone areas,” Emano said. Residents of the flooded areas had earlier asked the city government to allow them to rebuild their homes in the same site under the so-called “piso-piso” program. But the city mayor pointed out that giving in to the residents’ plea would only expose them to danger when another typhoon or flood hits the city.
“Climate change has brought a lot of uncertainties; areas with no history of severe weather disturbances are now being visited by typhoons,” he said in a statement. “Thus, we need to adopt measures to prevent or at least minimize their impact on our communities, and the ban on building homes in flood-prone areas is one such measure.”
The affected people have been living on the river deltas long before he was elected as the city’s chief executive. The relocation site is part of the city’s 64-hectare resettlement project in Sitio (sub-village) Calaanan in Barangay (village) Canitoan. Families whose houses were destroyed or wiped out by the floods caused by Tropical Storm “Sendong” will be given priority in the relocation project.
Why bodies at landfill
Emano lamented that some bodies of flood victims had to be temporarily gathered near the landfill because the local funeral parlors and mortuaries, which were overwhelmed by the number of flood victims, had refused to accept more corpses.
However, Emano said that he was negotiating with the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines for the use of the firm’s hangar in Lumbia to house the bodies, which would also allow the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct its identification process.
“I’ve been criticized for this, but I want to clarify that we never intended to have the bodies buried at the dump,” Emano said. “I agreed only because there was no other site to locate them; but at the same time I was negotiating for the use of the hangar.”
Emano also ordered the construction of a two-level chamber with compartments at the city cemetery in Bolonsiri, Barangay Camaman-An, where the unidentified cadavers were buried with “respect and dignity.” He assured the people that the recovery effort would not stop after the last body is recovered, identified and buried.
Long process
The city is developing a 9-hectare relocation site in Sitio Calaanan, Canitoan, for families whose houses were washed away by the floods. It has also arranged with the Chinese-Filipino community for construction of 300 prefabricated houses for free, and provided suitable site for a low-cost housing project initiated by Vice President Jejomar Binay that can accommodate at least 2000 units.
“Rebuilding what the disaster destroyed will be a long process,” Emano said. “We will rebuild homes and infrastructure and implement measures to ensure the safety of city residents, taking into account disaster prevention and climate change mitigation.”
Certain quarters have emphatically pointed out that the tragedy should not be taken against the city because the serious damage to property and loss of people’s lives could have been avoided had the proper higher authorities properly addressed the serious environmental issues in the province.
Cagayan de Oro was one of the most affected by the floods triggered by the huge amount of rain brought by Sendong. About 6,737 families or a total of 38,767 people from the city’s 29 barangays were taken to 19 evacuation centers after losing their homes.