ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews / 20 August) — Public viewing of the famed Maria Cristina Falls in Iligan City has been suspended due to landslides along the access road in two nearby hydroelectric power plants, Agus 6 and Agus 7, an advisory from the National Power Corporation-Mindanao Regional Office said.
The advisory signed by Larry L. Sabellina, Vice President of National Power Corp. – Mindanao Generation on August 8 and was released on August 17 in the afternoon.
The NPC said landslides had occurred in April 2022, making the falls inaccessible.
The landslides were caused by several days of continuous rains, it said.
Sabellina said rocks and debris falling down has become a common occurrence, and that on January 13 this year, it happened again near the entrance to the Agus 7 dam.
The incident forced the Agus 6 and Agus 7 management to suspend viewing of the falls so as not to expose the public to possible harm or injury.
Public viewing will resume once the Department of Public Works and Highways has done engineering interventions, which are expected to be implemented in 2024.
Maria Badelles David, DPWH-Iligan District Engineer, on Thursday said they have included NPC’s request for funding for slope protection works along Agus 6 and Agus 7 in the Regional Budget Program.
David said the request for funding was submitted to the office of Senator Mark Villar and Malacañang.
Lawyer Edgar Ramirez, plant manager of Agus 6 and Agus 7, said the slope protection project will ensure continuous power supply, as it would mean the safety and constant availability of plant personnel.
“The proposed budget for the slope protection project is P105 million,” he said. (Richel V. Umel/MindaNews)
