Listen to weather advisories — city

CEBU, Philippines - Amid the onset of the rainy season, the Cebu City government is urging people, especially those living in landslide and flood-prone areas, to listen to weather advisories.

Alvin Santillana, operations chief of Cebu City Risk Reduction and Management Council, said they communicate their advisories to 80 barangays in the city through radio.

“Unlike before, dili makahibaw tanan. Karon, naa na ta’y mga radio, ang mga barangays karon nga gipangitaan gyud namo og paagi nga naay repeater nga maka-interconnect gyud sila ug magka-kopyahay,” he said.

Santillana said people living in danger zones, like those encroaching in riverbanks and in slope areas, should take mitigating efforts themselves and not wait for the move of the city government.

“If you think you are living in a dangerous area, please pagplano namo kun asa mo og kabalhinan. Don’t wait for the city to remove you from where you are now kay ang syudad has to cater a lot of problems basin unya dili mi makaabot unya ma-unhan mi,” he said.

“Disaster response or resiliency should be done by two: ang tao ug ang gobyerno,” he added.

He said last Wednesday, the heavy rain caused Tinago and Tejero Creek to overflow.

“Didto ni-agi sa drainage ang tubig nga gikan sa sapa,” he said, adding that the overflowing caused eight meters deep of flood in parts of M.J. Cuenco Avenue and 20 meters deep of flood on A. Bonifacio Street.

He said though that the flood subsided in less than an hour and that the city deployed four Kaohsiung buses to fetch the stranded people in downtown.

“Kun kusog ang bunok sa uwan, motabang gyod ang city,” he said.

Meanwhile, Santillana said they have also been monitoring landslide-prone areas, just like Busay Elementary School.

He said city agriculturist Joey Baclayon has planted vegetation for slope protection since the gymnasium, where the school was temporarily relocated, is beside an uphill area prone to landslide.

“We also installed a barrier wherein naa siya’y tubo plus steel matting nga mopugong if in case there will be a landslide…nga masawo siya ba kun modahili,” Santillana said.

He said all barangays have emergency rescue teams that could respond during calamities.

Further, he said some barangays, even those in mountain areas, have been proactive in terms of disaster response, adding that the city is still willing to extend assistance.

The CDRRMC has also been monitoring the slope areas like Kalunasan, Buhisan and Sapangdaku.

He said the city has also installed several slope protections in landslide-prone areas, but not all are covered because of cost considerations.

He cited a slope protection project installed in Binaliw last 2008 wherein they spent almost P10 million with only 30 meters deep and 200 meters in length.

“Dili kaayo mi mo-advice nga gamiton ang sa calamity fund or ang LDRMF gamiton sa slope protection kay mahal kaayo,” he added.  (FREEMAN)