EDITORIAL — We might as well learn from it

As of this writing the death toll of the landslide in Barangay Masara, Maco, Davao de Oro, has already risen to 54, with 63 still missing.

Rescuers are still digging in the area but authorities said they are losing hope than anyone else will still be found alive.

What makes the tragedy sadder is that it could have been prevented; according to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources the area where the landslide happened had been declared a no-build zone since 2008.

An MGB geologist said this was mainly because of the soil composition in the area; volcanic ballistics or fragments of magma and old rocks from a volcanic eruption.

There were 55 houses affected by the incident. Needless to say if no houses had been built there there would have just been a landslide with no casualties.

But this isn’t to blame those who were injured or killed; we know how difficult it is to find a lot to build a house on. A lot in almost anywhere that matters comes at a premium, usually meaning beyond the affordable means of ordinary citizens.

People build houses where they can find lots and for different reasons, not the least of which is that the land is cheap or even free, or that these are near their places of work, livelihood, or family members and other loved ones.

This problem isn’t just with individuals. The ever-increasing Philippine population means more and more areas have to become habitable for more and more people and many local government units have no choice but to allow settlement in areas previously off-limits.

However, nature always has a way of reclaiming whatever it once owned. Usually with tragic results.

Tragic as it is, we might as well learn from this incident. No more building in areas designated as no-build zones. And this goes for areas that are prone to not just landslides in rural areas but places prone to flooding in urban areas, as well as places vulnerable to storm surges, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, wildfires, and other forms of disaster.