Scientists urge gov't to develop mangrove forests, seagrass beds to protect coastal residents
MANILA, Philippines — A scientist group called on the government to develop mangrove and beach forests, and seagrass beds, which can help protect coastal communities from hazards.
In a statement Thursday, the Advocates of Science and Technology for the People (AGHAM) urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to establish coastal greenbelts instead of relocating coastal residents affected by Typhoon Odette (Rai) away from the sea.
According to AGHAM, these ecosystems are natural barriers against storm surge and coastal erosion. Mangrove and beach forests, and seagrass meadows also serve as habitats for commercially important fish and as carbon sinks.
Mangrove forests in Del Carmen, Siargao were able to protect coastal communities from storm surge during the onslaught of 'Odette', OneNews reported.
“This shows that DENR and DILG should exhaust all means to mitigate hazards first, such as developing coastal greenbelts, improving early warning systems and enhancing disaster risk reduction measures up to the local level, before considering totally and permanently uprooting residents from their homes and livelihood,” AGHAM said.
“Development of coastal greenbelts should involve not only planting of mangrove and beach forest species, but also the protection of existing coastal ecosystems,” it added.
Uprooting coastal residents
In a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte this week, DENR Undersecretary Benny Antiporda said the department and the local government of Siargao have agreed to ban coastal residents from returning to their homes “for their safety.” Qualified tenured migrants will be given parcels of lands in other parts of the island, he added.
The DILG wanted the president to create an inter-agency task force that will evict and relocate residents living along coastal easements, its spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said in an interview with CNN Philippines.
But Duterte said he was against evicting families from “no-build zones” unless relocation sites are identified.
“Should eviction become inevitable, concerned government agencies should find relocation sites where residents could still practice their livelihood,” AGHAM said.
It added: “Strict implementation of no-build zones must also be practiced, wherein former settlements must not be converted to resorts and other commercial establishments, considering that Siargao is an internationally renowned tourist destination.”
Comprehensive climate strategy
Greenpeace Philippines called on the government as well as candidates in next year’s polls to craft a coherent climate strategy beyond disaster response.
“Odette once again showed us that survivors will struggle beyond each typhoon’s onslaught and initial response efforts. They already spent their Christmas with little to no food or water, amid rising prices of commodities, threats of relocation and the spread of diseases—all while preparing for another rainy New Year,” Greenpeace campaigner Virginia Benosa-Llorin said.
“The lack of action to address the climate crisis has left us scrambling to act on its impacts within weeks. We simply cannot play catch-up anymore,” she added.
‘Odette’—the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines in 2021—affected nearly 4.2 million individuals, mostly in Visayas and Mindanao. It killed at least 397 people and left 83 missing.
PAGASA says severe tropical storm Rai entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility at around 7 p.m. Tuesday. It was assigned the local name Odette.
Telco giant Globe has completed network service repairs in municipalities of Anda, Dauis, Loon and Panglao in Bohol, San Fernando in Cebu, and Baybay, Albuera in Leyte, and Limasawa in Southern Leyte.
Services in Mindanao's Tagana-an, Surigao del Norte have also been restored as of January 4.
Globe says it has equipped local government units affected by Super Typhoon Odette with an M360 platform, used to send SMS updates to their offices and constituencies. "Palawan, Southern Leyte, and Cebu municipalities Naga, Cordova and the city of Mandaue, were among the first to avail of this free service," the telco says in a release.
Network coverage has been restored in 98% of areas with PLDT and Smart coverage in Bacolod.
The telco group says in a release that network services have been restored in 90% of Visayas cities and municipalities affected by Super Typhoon Odette.
Earlier, PLDT-Smart reported the full restoration of services in Antique, Iloilo, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar and Western Samar.
The Technical Education and Skils Development Authority in the Cordillera is sending 19 trainers to Bohol, one of the provinces that was hit hard by Super Typhoon Odette last December.
The trainers will help in the recovery and rebuilding efforts in the province by giving skills training to Boholanons.
TESDA Cordillera, along with the TESDA in the Ilocos region, will be giving free training, particularly on construction-related courses. The training will help in the rebuilding homes and other structures destroyed by the strongest typhoon that visited the country since Super Typhoon Yolanda.
The trainers are from the Provincial Training Centers of TESDA Kalinga, TESDA Mountain Province, TESDA Abra, TESDA Apayao, and TESDA Ifugao. There are four trainers for Electrical Installation and Maintenance, nine trainers for Carpentry, and six trainers for Masonry. — The STAR/Artemio Dumlao
The Department of the Interior and Local Government and other regional goverment offices in SOCCSKSARGEN has sent relief supplies for typhoon-stricken areas in the Caraga Region.
The supplies were transported in a 24-vehicle convoy that included dump trucks.
The humanitarian mission is a joint initiative of the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Regional Task Force on COVID-19.
The convoy on Tuesday follows an initial shipment of relief supplies to the Caraga Region that the DILG regional office initiated.
The provisions — clothings, food rations and hygiene kits — were received by DILG personnel in the Caraga region. — The STAR/John Unson
Total agriculture damage from Typhoon Odette is at P5.79 billion and counting, Agriculture Secretary William Dar says.
More than 70,000 hectares of agricultural land were affected.
Meanwhile, more than 506,000 houses were damaged by the super typhoon and may reach up to 600,000, Housing Secretary Eduardo del Rosario says.
- Latest
