BACOLOD, Philippines – Days of flooding on Negros Island due to the heavy rain resulting from the enhanced habagat (southwest monsoon) serve as a potent reminder to officials that the island’s watersheds require immediate rescue efforts, environmental officials and activists said on Wednesday, September 18.
Joan Nathaniel Gerangaya, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources (PENR) officer for Negros Occidental, told Rappler that the swelling of the Ilog-Hilabangan River caused flooding in Kabankalan City, and the towns of Ilog, Cauayan, and Candoni in southern Negros Occidental, displacing thousands of residents Tuesday night, September 17.
He sounded alarm bells, saying there was an urgent need to rehabilitate the Ilog-Hilabangan Forest Reserve, starting from Negros Oriental, where the river originates.
BRIGADA NEWS FM-Kabankalan photo
“The Ilog-Hilabangan River, one of the five largest rivers in Negros Occidental, is at risk due to the denuded state of its forest reserve,” Gerangaya said.
Without proper forest cover, he said rainwater would continue to rush down the river, causing recurrent floods.
The other major rivers in Negros Occidental, including the Malogo River in EB Magalona, Bago River in Bago City, Himoga-an River in Cadiz and Sagay City, and the Binalbagan River in Binalbagan town, also require close monitoring, Gerangaya said.
Organized environmentalists also called for immediate action.
Rusty Biñas, founder of the environmental watchdog Green Alert Network (GAN), emphasized that the flooding showed a failure to prepare for the consequences of climate change.
“Typhoons and floods are man’s greatest enemies in the face of climate change,” Biñas told Rappler. “But in Negros, the lack of proactive preparation remains a major issue.”
Unless action is taken to rehabilitate the island’s natural environment, he said Negrenses will constantly find themselves in survival mode during disasters.
“If we don’t take care of nature, we will be the ones who always need rescuing,” he said.
In Negros Occidental and other provinces in Western Visayas, a total of 70,301 families are in dire need of assistance due to ongoing flooding, according to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Region VI.
Raul Fernandez, OCD regional director, reported that as of Tuesday, September 17, Negros Occidental and Antique were the worst-hit provinces.
Negros Occidental has 25,380 families requiring assistance, but as of Tuesday, only 6,093 families, or 24.7%, had received aid in the form of food packs valued at P11.2 million.
Antique, with 32,384 families needing help, has only been able to assist 12,197 families (37.66%) with P9.7 million in food aid.
Aklan follows with 11,340 families affected, of which 6,255 (11.07%) have received P1.2 million worth of assistance. Meanwhile, Iloilo has 1,197 families in need, but only 31 (2.59%) have received help.
Fernandez said non-stop rain and flooding had hampered efforts to deliver aid to affected areas on Negros Island and Western Visayas.
“It’s not easy, but we are doing our best to reach and provide assistance to our affected brethren,” he said.
In Negros Occidental, about 30,663 people, were impacted by the flooding. As of Wednesday, 5,454 families, or 22,961 individuals, remain in evacuation centers, primarily in schools.
According to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), 23 out of the province’s 31 localities, excluding Bacolod City, have been affected by continuous rain, with southern areas of the province bearing the brunt of the damage.
The PDRRMO has updated the agricultural losses in the province from an initial estimate of P16.6 million to P22.649 million. Rice, corn, and other high-value crops account for the majority of these losses, totaling P20.07 million. Fisheries and livestock losses amount to P1.06 million and P889,885, respectively.
The PDRRMO also recorded 18 landslides in various parts of the province, particularly in the towns of Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto in central Negros Occidental.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is currently assisting in clearing operations along highways impacted by landslides and floods.
Meanwhile, the OCD VI confirmed that the week-long bad weather had resulted in five deaths – two in Negros Occidental, one in Bacolod, and two on Panay Island in Western Visayas. – Rappler.com
