EDITORIAL - Deadly mudslide

For the past two weeks residents of Barangay Guinsaugan in the town of Saint Bernard in Southern Leyte had been leaving their homes at night, then returning at daytime amid incessant heavy rains. Yesterday morning, the residents were back in their village when they felt a mild tremor. Then they heard what sounded like an explosion followed by an eerie rumble. For many villagers, it was too late to avoid the avalanche of mud. Until late afternoon, rescuers were searching for up to 2,000 villagers reported missing and feared dead.

This time there were no illegal logging or mining operations to blame for the deadly mudslide. But Leyte lost most of its rainforests and natural watersheds many years ago, and the area has been classified as a "geo-hazard" zone by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. If there have been efforts to restore the province’s forest cover, which could reduce soil erosion and the threat of mudslides, the efforts obviously have been slow in bearing fruit.

The province should have learned its lesson way back in November 1991, when a freak flood that was blamed on illegal logging in watersheds killed thousands of residents of Ormoc City.

Guinsaugan itself is no stranger to mudslides. In December 2003, 200 people died and over 100 more were reported missing when tons of mud slammed into the village. Last week a landslide in neighboring Sogod town also killed seven people.

The latest disaster should provide impetus for an aggressive reforestation program not only in Leyte but nationwide. The country is losing its forest cover at an alarming rate. Apart from strict enforcement of the logging ban, successful reforestation will require the cooperation of communities that make their living from the forest and have a stake in making sustainable agroforestry work. It will also require the cooperation of development planners to avoid further destruction of forests for commercial, residential or industrial purposes. Unless the nation undertakes a serious reforestation program, we will be seeing more deadly landslides.