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Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas says the flooding and landslides were not caused by quarrying but by the unprecedented amount of rains for 3 consecutive days
BATANGAS – Several villages remain isolated 3 days after the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine that killed 54 individuals and displaced over 27,000 families in the province of Batangas.
In a press briefing Sunday afternoon, Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas stressed that the flooding and landslides were not caused by quarrying but by the unprecedented amount of rains for 3 consecutive days.
“Sa kadamihan lamang ng tubig, bumigat ang lupa at bumagsak. Pero napansin ninyo lahat ng mga apektadong lugar ay nakapaligid sa lawa ng Taal. Ang lawa ng Taal tumaas ng isang metro. Ang tunay na dahilan nito, ang nilalabasan ng tubig ng Taal, ang Pansipit River, yan ay nabarahan nung pumutok ang bulkan, 2020 pa. Hanggang ngayon hindi pa nade-dredge,” he said.
Mandanas publicly criticized the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for failing to dredge the Pansipit River, a situation he says significantly contributed to the severe flooding especially in the towns of Lemery, Agoncillo and Taal.
“Ang lalawigan ginagawa ang ating kaya doon pero hindi kami makaayos kaagad dahil ang namamahala niyan, ayon sa batas, ang may pananagutan talaga diyan ay ang ating Department of Environment and Natural Resources…Kapag gagawa ng school o gagawa ng kalye, kailangan kami humingi ng permiso, at kailangan pa magbayad. ‘Yon nasabihan ko na, madali naman baguhin yung area covered, ay hindi makuha eh,” he lamented.
Mandanas is referring to Republic Act 11038 or the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (ENIPAS) Act of 2018 which identified 94 protected areas as national parks placing them under the control and supervision of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Among the 94 areas is the Taal Volcano Protected Landscape, which covers an area of 62,292.16 hectares, equivalent to 20% of the entire Batangas province land area.
He emphasized that damaged caused by the massive flooding could have been mitigated if the river had been cleared before the storm.
“Hindi babaha ang Lemery na kapares ng pagbaha ngayon, talagang sobrang baha, at bahagi ng Taal at Agoncillo. Yan ang katotohanan,” he stressed.
In 2021, Mandanas also expressed frustration due to the difficulties they encountered in managing localities inside the protected area while dealing with the urgent situation of the Taal volcano eruption.
Based on the latest data provided by the PDRRMO, over 4,000 houses were damaged in the entire province. Aside from providing humanitarian aid and supplies, the provincial government is now monitoring possible outbreaks of dengue, leptospirosis, respiratory illnesses, and mental health issues among evacuees. – Rappler.com
