July 31,2009

Places Where Faultlines Have Traversed Are Landslide-Prone –Abad

By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte-Municpalities where Philippine Faultlines were

detected to have traversed underground its respective areas become automatically
landside-prone and earthquake-prone.
This was the disclosure of Eva Abad, head of the Provincial Environment and
Natural Resources Management Office (PENRMO) in a recent interview at the
provincial capitol here.
Tracing the UP-Tacloban-GTZ’s partnership creation of the geo-hazard map, with
the guidance of the map’s legend, she pointed out that a faultline from Abuyog,
Leyte is passing to Silago down to Hinunangan and Hinundayan areas.
Another faultline from Abuyog passes to St.Bernard and crosses to Cabalian Bay
up to Panaon Island sea on both sides facing Mindanao. A faultline was also traced
coming from Biliran which traverses up to Southern Leyte and also crossing the
Leyte Province. A faultline was also detected in Mahaplag, Leyte.
Mahaplag’s faultline likewise traverses to Sogod, Libagon and Liloan. While
that of San Francisco’s and San Ricardo’s detection of faultlines are passing
along the sea.
A branch-out of the Philippine Faultline also passes along the sea of Bontoc,
part of Tomas Oppus, Malitbog,
and also Part of Padre Burgos and Limasawa Island.Still another faultline was
found in Inopacan,Leyte
while other faultlines, have traversed in some areas along the sea. Along the
faultline, Abad reiterated, are also earthquake-prone areas. “Those areas having
faultlines underneath the mountains”, she informed, “are also prone to
landslides”.
On the other hand, cited as tsunami-prone areas in the province of Southern
Leyte are the coastal municipalities of Silago, Hinunangan, Hinundayan, Anahawan,
San Juan, St.Beranrd, and the whole of Panaon Island facing Mindanao.
Specifically, landslide-prone areas are identified like Panaon Island, Libagon,
Sogod, Macrohon, part of Tomas Oppus and Padre Burgos, all of the Pacific towns’
mountainous areas, and Maasin.While Hinunangan aside from being a tsunami-prone
municipality, is also a flood-prone area.
Abad added that majority of the mountainous areas of the province are
landslide-prone.

Helpful Solutions
The PENRMO head informed that for the landslide-prone and flood-prone areas,
one of the effective and helpful solutions is for the barangay, municipal and LGU
officials to spearhead the compulsory planting
Of forest trees that are endemic in Southern Leyte.
Abad pointed out that every LGU municipalities and its comprising barangays
must have a reforestation project whose budget must have a regular funding in the
annual investment plan. For flood-prone areas an all-out reforestation in all
denuded forests must be pursued.
If a hill or part of a mountainous area is used for agriculture, she further
emphasized, farmers must adapt sloping agriculture technology thru the technical
assistance of the Local Govt. Unit Office.

Shoreline Easement
For the tsunami-prone areas of the province.Dr. Jurgenne Primavera, a Filipino
Scientist, disclosed during a recent seminar-workshop held at Sogod attended by
representatives of tsunami-prone municipalities that to reduce the destructive
impact of typhoons and tsunami, shoreline easement must be conducted and
implemented.”20 meters away from the shoreline(landward)must be planted with beach
forest trees like anunang,bitaog,talisay,bituon,nino,abgao,lagundi,bani and other
associated species that thrive along the coastlines”, Primavera said.
Primavera also urged concerned public officials to identify areas with coastal
erosions and conduct tree-planting activities to prevent more damages. He enjoined
Chief Executives and LGU officials whose jurisdictional municipalities are located
near the sea to have nurseries for all types of mangroves and maintain its
operational existence to meet future needs.
For her part, Abad furthermore said that abandoned fishpond areas be reverted
for mangrove rehabilitation and denuded mangrove areas be rehabilitated. The
cutting of beach forest trees along the designated shoreline easements of the
province should not be allowed.
Our source added that intensive educational drive and awareness to the local
leaders, the academe, People Organizations,NGOs,the private and the religious
sectors must be conducted so that the people in the entire province be made aware
of the areas’ condition and would help in the realization of the remedial measures
being undertaken. (Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.)

July 31,2009

24,000 Beach Forest Trees Planted To Help Mitigate Climate Change

By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte-Twenty four thousand mangrove tree seedlings were
planted in two consecutive years in 2007 and 2008 in12 municipalities covering a
total of 24 barangays of this province allegedly as a measure to help mitigate
climate change or global warning.
This was the disclosure of Evangeline Andrade Alvarez, Aquaculturist 2 of the
Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Management Office (PENRMO) whose
office is located within the two-storey building of the Provincial Capitol here.
She implied that prior to the distribution of the mangroves or beach forest
plantlets, municipal, barangay officials, and other participating sectors have
undergone orientations on how to plant the seedlings, the distance between them
and the system on how to take care of the newly-planted trees in their respective
areas of jurisdiction.
Alvarez said that the 12 municipalities involved in the project were
Macrohon,Padre Burgos,Malitbog,Tomas Oppus,Sogod,Libagon,Liloan,St.Bernard,San
Juan,HInundayan,Hinunangan and Silago.These are the places where there are
existing mangrove areas suitable for rehabilitations, she said.
The Aquaculturist informed that each municipality has received 2,000 mangrove
seedlings consisting of 3 species of bungalon (Avicennia specie), bakhaw
(Rhizophora specie) and pagatpat (Sonneratia specie) with a total cost of P120,
000.00.She explained that the numbers of mangrove seedlings given is for each
municipality’s 2 barangays’ mangrove areas.
For her part Eva Abad, PENRMO head, said that in barangays where some mangrove
seedlings are still needed to fill up a vacant lot intended for the plantation,
the barangay officials concern can still make requests for additional plantlets.
She informed that PENRMO’s coastal greenbelt project is intended to be expanded
to wider areas of the province where some coastlines suitable for the plantation
of mangroves or beach forest trees are not yet being undertaken.
The PENRMO head further said that her office’s project is in partnership with
the Provincial Government, GTZ (a German acronym which means in English, German
Technical Cooperation), Environment Rural Deve- lopment, DENR’s Coastal Management
Division and the LGUs.
Abad disclosed that her office also urged the project’s 12 recipient-
municipalities to make its respective municipal nurseries for mangroves and other
beach forest trees like bitaog, talisay, bani, abgao, nino, anonang, lagundi and
other associated species that will thrive along the coastlines.
She added that the perennial availability of these seedlings/plantlets is
needed as future replacements for those plants that might die or have not grown
into maturity.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)