PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur (MindaNews / 17 February) – Local government units should be equipped with the capacity to adapt to climate change beyond the provision of relief assistance to effectively tackle the persistent challenges posed by disasters such as floods and landslides, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said during his visit here on Saturday.
“It is imperative that we empower local governments not only in providing relief assistance but also in enhancing their capabilities to respond to calamities and construct resilient infrastructures to mitigate the impact of climate change,” said Gatchalian.
He said a crucial aspect of addressing climate change involves the relocation of communities situated in hazard-prone areas, citing the tragic landslide in the village of Masara in Maco, Davao de Oro, on Feb. 6.
He said he would work for a law on identifying safe relocation sites, including those within forest lands that would be converted into alienable and disposable lands.
Reacting to an information from Vice Gov. Samuel Tortor that around 90,000 hectares of forest lands in the province are currently occupied by municipal halls, government buildings, and village communities, Gatchalian said: “I will collaborate with the provincial government of Agusan del Sur to propose a legislative bill for the conversion of these forest lands into alienable and disposable lands.”
The senator’s office, along with the city government of Valenzuela, Bulacan, donated 3,800 sacks of rice to flood victims in 10 of the 13 towns and one city of Agusan del Sur.
The assistance was part of the 12,800 sacks of rice intended for people affected by floods as well as the landslides that hit Davao de Oro and Davao Oriental.
Agusan del Sur experienced severe flooding due to continuous heavy rains a couple of weeks ago, prompting the local government to declare a state of calamity on Jan. 31.
In his briefing before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during the latter’s visit in Agusan del Sur on Friday, Gov. Santiago Cane Jr. said 53 percent or 392,947 residents of the province’s population were affected by the floods.
He reported that the total estimated amount of damage to properties, infrastructure, and agriculture is P2,295,983,284. (Chris V. Panganiban/MindaNews)
