[ Manila Bulletin Online ] May 5, 2008
By DEXTER A. SEE
BAGUIO CITY — The Cordillera office of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in this city warned residents of the region to be extra careful, especially with the onset of the La Niña phenomenon, due to the expected occurrence of landslides in various areas.
MGB said the region is vulnerable to landslides because of its mountainous terrain.
However, experts could not say how susceptible the region is to landslides even if the agency has already completed the foreign-funded landslide susceptibility map of this mountain resort city and Benguet.
The geohazard mapping and the effective geohazard report by the MGB aims to help residents of identified high-risk areas to institute mitigating measures in their structures as well as allow local government units to prepare their disaster-risk management plans that would prevent the loss of lives and damage to properties.
For the past several years, strong rains caused by the series of natural calamities that hit the region led to the loss of hundreds of lives and damage to properties.
Geohazard experts claimed the predicted La Niña phenomenon coupled with the daily strong rains during the summer season will endanger the lives of thousands of residents residing in landslide-prone areas and within mountain slopes due to the reported loosening of the soil in said areas.
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