Vultures of development

Ric Maulion .

TIME is fleeting as the wind!

It must have been more than five years since I last passed by  using new bridge at new Rotunda from Carmen towards Lourdes High School Gym. I brought  one pack of “Hell” energy drink for first year Lourdes College students who were having bonding moments at that time playing basketball and volleyball. My way of returning back the compliments, I thought, learning how physically drained they might  have been these past months listening  my lecture on Essential Catholic Faith and Life under Religious Studies 11 at said College.

But that huge and imposing “LICEO U!” housing land mark of ownership of that white elephant beside the bridge  had indeed sent bad vibes for me. What an eyesore and concrete evidence of lack of respect and categorical defiance of the law on legal easements.

Conspiracy from getting clearance and other legal documents to securing Environment Clearance Certificate or ECC seems to be what happened why this building was allowed to be constructed there in the first place. Worst, it seems it has transformed into as White Elephant. What a disservice these authorities exhibited allowing this once river channel to be exploited. Look how it was converted to the world’s widest swimming pool last “Ondoy” with houses, crates and other debris littering and flowing around everywhere. Yes, Sir, the incident was clearly nature’s way of reminding how far it would go returning back its wrath and karma castigating our wanton destruction of  natural resources.

Playing deaf and blind? No way! You could see results all over Mother Earth meant business. See how Loreto mountains  in Surigao have been destroyed because of mining going on unabated. Good for the Lumad in Liangga, Surigao del Sur, they stood their ground against harassment by the military in the guise of giving clearance of unscrupulous mining industry operate at the expense of delineated ancestral domain area — but, of course, with the imprimatur of Malacañang. The same is happening in the Mountain Province where illegal logging resulted in soil erosion rendering many people homeless and road network impassable. What about the heavy rainfall flooding Metro Manila and other provinces because of poor drainage system?

The worst case scenario perhaps we should be aware of is the severe flooding of one municipality in Turkey earlier. Social media showed how an entire municipality was wiped out practically from the face of the earth in just nine minutes  heavy rainfall! Hope people living in sandbars upstream to Consolacion would see this tragedy to avert similar disaster.

This writer doesn’t have anything against implacable development of the city. We’ve been there. Asiaweek recognized Cagayan de Oro as the fastest growing city in the region many years passed. And lately, the city ranked No. 5, a blistering pace of development increase from No. 10 the other year, as the most competitive city in the country. But where legal easements are sacrificed for its development is simply despicable.

First, it doesn’t only speak well the character of city officials and government agencies but also, an insult showing how inept and abusive we are against Mother nature.

In fairness, Liceo U should not only be singled out.  All other establishments and institutions responsible in arrogating easements for their own selfish interest should be exposed. The problem is on how to impose relevant intervention to destroy the already well-placed vertical development all over. Perhaps it’s about time to relocate the city somewhere else on the higher ground to save people from possible another tragedy given below sea-level situation of the city prone to heavy flooding at the slightest rainfall.

The illegal structures are all around staring right before our eyes. From upstream to downstream, they have further constricted waterways of surging waters from as far as Bukidnon before they are released  away  emptying to Macajalar Bay.

St. Augustine Cathedral, City Hall, Commission on Audit just across and the equally other institutions and establishments like Golden Heritage all the way down on both sides — all these are responsible.

When would we ever learn? While still alive or drowned to death by cyclical flood visiting us? True enough as it is said: “It’s very hard to face the problem if the problem is your face!”