Senator Loren Legarda on Tuesday reiterated the need to complete the distribution of the geohazard maps all over the country to reduce, if not eliminate casualties and damages every time natural hazard strikes.
Legarda renewed her appeal to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) reported to the Senate committee on environment and natural resources that the geohazard maps have already been posted in the websites.
”It’s not enough. You have to distribute the maps, not in the website because many barangays (villages) don’t have internet,” Legarda told the DENR officials.
The DENR officials led by Biodiversity Management Bureau director Mundita Lim attended the public hearing on the Senate Bill 1901 declaring as protected areas and buffer zones the parcels of land designated as the National Integrated Protected Areas System under Republic Act 7586.
”Thirteen are already declared as individual republic acts. However, 100 of them still needs to undergo process to make it a law so that it will be protected and be given funds,” Legarda explained to the media.
”So that’s why it would not be an easy task to declare the 100 areas in the country such as coastal, forests as protected areas,” she added.
Legarda said she intends to conduct at least five more public hearings until all the 16 regions will be covered by the proposed bill before the state of the nation address or SONA of President Benigno Aquino III.
”I’ll finish all my committee hearings and after SONA, I will sponsor the measure. Hopefully, before September break, I will pass it in the Senate. Hopefully, the house will also do so,” Legarda said.
Legarda stressed that it is important that the heavy casualties and damages brought by the super typhoon Yolanda and other storms like Sendong, Pablo and Undoy will not happen again in the future.
”July is DRR (disaster risk reduction) consciousness month and I urge the MGB to distribute all the geohazard maps in all 1,600 cities and municipalites all over the country,” she said.
The lady lawmaker also urged the DENR to make sure that the geohazard maps will be explained to every local government units (LGU) leader to save more lives. [PNA]
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