Sitoy wants flood-prone areas identified

CEBU, Philippines - Following the death of two children at the Guindarohan River in Naga City last Sunday, Board Member Arleigh Sitoy is calling on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the provincial engineering office to identify the flood prone areas in the province.

Sitoy said it is important that these areas are identified the earliest possible time so that measures can be set in place to ensure that those living in these areas will not be affected by the flood during heavy downpour.

Sitoy said it is also important that residents in these areas will be educated on the right steps to take in the event of flashfloods.Incidents of flooding usually occur during the rainy season, which will run until early next year.

In a resolution, Sitoy asked DENR-7 Director Leonardo Sibbaluca and OIC Provincial Engineer Eulogio Pelayre to attend the regular session of the Provincial Board come Monday and identify these areas.

The two children in Naga died after they were swept away by raging water of the Guindarohan River in Barangay Cogon.

Chris Paran, 13, and her brother Reniel, 8, were together with their grandmother Agripina Paran, 55, and another sibling, Reynan, when they crossed the said river last Sunday afternoon.

Agripina and Reynan were able to hold on to the rocks, but Chris and Reniel were swept away. Chris was found dead kilometers away from the area while Reniel was found the following day at an islet in Cuaming, Bohol. (FREEMAN NEWS)