City hall fears fire in six watersheds

By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent

THE City Local  Environment and Natural Resources Office (Clenro) has sounded alarm bells over the threat of fire in six watershed areas in the city.

Edwin Dael, Clenro chief, said a fire could break out in the watersheds of Carmen, Malasag, Balubal, Bugo, and Agusan, and Iponan River.

The Iponan River watershed alone has a four thousand-hectare watershed area.

All these, according to Dael, were in danger of being damaged or destroyed by fire because of the summer heat aggravated by the El Niño phenomenon.

Mayor Oscar Moreno said there was a need to make “fire lines” in the watershed areas as a precautionary measure, and to cushion the impact in case fire breaks out in these areas.

“Ang  atong ipatrabaho  paghimog  fire  line sa atong mga watershed areas ang mga lumad  kay  sila man ang   nasayod asa ang mga terrain sa atong mga lasang,” said Dael.

He said he recommended the fire lines to Moreno even before the Mt. Apo fire.

But it was learned that a “small” forest fire broke out in Barangay Tignapoloan the other week. “Maayo gani kay natabang ra sa mga lumad kadto nga sunog kay kon  wala pa, posibli  nga mapareho to nga sunog sa sunog sa Mt. Apo,” Dael said.

Moreno has asked the Department of Social Welfare and Development  (DSWD) for a P2-million “cash-for-work” fund so city hall could compensate those who would work on the fire lines.

Dael said Moreno opted to seek aid from the DSWD because city hall could not use it five-percent calamity fund without a declaration of a state of calamity by the city council.

City  Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) chief Allan Porcadilla said the renacted 2015 budget of city hall provides for P28 million  for “quick response” expenses. But still, he said, this could only be used if the city council declares a state of calamity.

The city council failed to tackle the proposed declaration of a state of calamity last week due to lack of quorum.

Meanwhile, Moreno said he has informed the city council that many agriculture-dependent barangays in the city were already badly affected by the El Niño, and there was a need for the city council to declare a state of calamity.

Teodoro Sabuga-a,  chief of the City Social Welfare and Development office (CSWD) and a chairman of city hall’s Rapid Damage Assessment Needs Analysis group, said 15 barangays were adversely affected by the heat. The barangays are FS Catanico, Tablon, Balubal, Bayanga, Indahag, Tigpapolo-an,  Bugo, Pagatpat, Balulang, Cugman, Canito-an, Mambuaya, Agusan, Tumpagon, and Dansolihon.

Sabuga-a said crops in some 2,030 hectares of farmland  were damaged and/or destroyed because of the dry spell. Most of the farms are planted with vegetables and root crops, and bananas.

He said some 863 chickens also fell ill and died of heat stroke.

Sabuga-a some 1,692 farm-dependent families in the 15 barangays are starting to go hungry as a result, prompting Moreno to certify as urgent his request for an ordinance that would declare the barangays under a state of calamity.

Moreno said he was disappointed because the city council failed to act on his request last week.

Councilor Teodulfo Lao Jr. said the city council failed to deliberate on Moreno’s proposal because most local legislators did not show up.

“Pito ra kami kabo-ok, ma-o nga  wala gyud madayon ang among session kay nagkinahanglan man kami sa napolo ka mga councilor para quorum,” said Lao, adding that the councilors who were absent should explain their absence.