PNoy eyes total log ban

ORMOC CITY, Philippines  - President Benigno "PNoy" Aquino III yesterday said that long-term solutions are needed to address to the recurring problems on flooding and landslides in the country, and one of these would be a total log ban in the country.

PNoy, in a press conference upon arrival at the Ormoc airport on his way to an ocular inspection of St. Bernard town in Southern Leyte, told reporters he would be finalizing on Monday an executive order for the total log ban.

The president landed at the airport here together with Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman and DILG Secretary Jessie Robredo. He and Soliman proceeded to St. Bernard by helicopter with Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla, also the chair of the Regional Development Council, while Robredo remained at the airport.

Other cabinet members also flew in on a second plane but stayed at the Ormoc airport. They were Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singzon, Agricultural Secretary Jesus Alcala, National Defense Secretary Voltaire Gasmin. They were with Undersecretary Benito Ramos of the Office of Civil Defence, and An Waray party-list Reps. Florencio Noel and Neil Benedict Montejo.

PNoy has been going around the country to inspect ravaged areas due to the tailend of a cold front that has caused downpours in various provinces. He said his aerial visits showed the mountains in the ravaged areas were deforested and other areas planted instead with coconut, which had poor water holding capacity.

Showing media printed pictures of confiscated illegal logs in Mindanao, he said there is no doubt that massive illegal logging is going on in the country. He said he would call also for a massive reforestation, and to preserve the remaining trees because "kung puno pinutol mo, putol na yan."

The president also described the illegal loggers as "walang konsensiya" and his administration would run after them without let up. "We preserve what there is" because reforestation has little effect to alleviate the situation yet because these would just be very small trees. "Maliliit pa 'yan," he said, adding that he wanted to see for himself the ravaged areas to assess whether "naasikaso bang lahat" and "may kailangan pa bang dapat gawin."

In the brief assessment he did with his secretaries before meeting the press, it was agreed that a more detailed assessment of high risk areas should be done to be more specific in pinpointing the locations.

He said he would also be studying the recommendations on what solutions are needed to be implemented and what would be long-term in scope, after which the government would look for funds to implement these.

In his visit to St. Bernard, PNoy said he got recommendations for solutions from Rep. Roger Mercado (S. Leyte lone district), town Mayor Rico Rentuza, and S. Leyte Governor Damian Mercado. All these would be studied to determine which would be best for implementation and funding.

The landslide in St. Bernard, where three children were killed, was no longer a natural disaster anymore, but a disaster that could have been prevented, said the president.

PNoy said there is much to be done, if long term solutions were to be made, but the immediate order of the day is to ensure that access to ravaged areas are maintained and cleared, so that relief and rehabilitation efforts are unhampered.

He also lauded the leadership of Rentuza, the only Liberal Party mayor in S. Leyte. for not merely relying on government to respond to distress call. He noted that Rentuza reached out even to non-government organizations, which readily answered his call for help.  (FREEMAN)