4 barangays in Aurora face landslide threats

SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga — The chief geologist of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Central Luzon warned yesterday that thousands of folk in four barangays in Dingalan, Aurora, including the poblacion area, are threatened with a fate similar to that of Barangay Guinsaugon in Southern Leyte.

Geologist Orlando Pineda, chief of the geology division of the DENR regional office here, told The Star that tons of loose earth materials are poised to avalanche anytime during heavy rains on populated areas in the town center and in Barangays Paltik, Dabildabilan, and Aplaya in Dingalan.

He said the loose materials were washed down by heavy rains that devastated wide areas of the town in November and December 2004 and that huge volumes of rocks and other debris have remained in the upper reaches of the Dabildabilan and Sugsug creeks on Mt.Mingan.

"In a worst case scenario that would combine heavy rains or light but persistent rains coupled with an earthquake, the tons of materials would slide town to the threatened areas," he said.

Pineda noted that Dinggalan lies on an active Philippine fault that also runs through Gabaldon and Laur in neighboring Nueva Ecija.

Earlier, Gov. Bellaflor Angara declared Barangay Paltik as a no man’s land after geologists pointed out the village has remained in danger from landslides and flashfloods.

But Pineda said recent studies have shown that even the Poblacion area, Dabildabilan and Aplaya are at risk.

He dismissed the usual belief that forested mountains are not prone to landslides, as he noted that Mt. Mingan is a government-protected area.

"The fact is that trees could even contribute to loosening the ground especially if the ground is made up of only small rocks which could be loosened by the roots of trees being moved by the wind," he said.

"It’s not always right to blame illegal logging for landslides. Even deforested mountains can withstand strong rains if it is made up of huge rocks," he said, as he recalled a study after the devastation here in 2004, showing that some deforested mountains did not give way while forested ones triggered landslides.

Pineda said that as early as last year, his office had already informed Dingalan officials about the dangers facing local folk.

"The problem is that most of the safe areas we have identified were privately owned and the local government did not have funds to buy them," he said.

Pineda stressed the importance of establishing an early warning system for the threatened populations in the absence of permanent relocation site for them.