An official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on
Sunday raised alarm over the geo-hazards facing Baguio City and
Benguet, which are prone to landslides.
Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and Local Government Unit
Concerns Benny Antiporda also expressed concerns over the traffic
situation in Baguio City, saying the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources will consider the tourist spot’s rehabilitation
following the rehabilitation and cleanup of Boracay Island in Aklan, El
Nido in Palawan and Panglao in Bohol.
He also lamented the loss of the city’s pine smell as a result of air pollution.
“A study showed 70 percent of the areas in Baguio [City and even] in
Benguet are geo-hazards or prone to landslides. Because of such, we will
immediately focus our concern on these. We do not want a repeat of the
Hyatt tragedy,” he said, referring to a magnitude 7.7 earthquake that
destroyed the 12-story Hyatt Terraces Baguio on July 16, 1990, during
which 50 people were killed.
“We all know that most of the soil in Baguio [City] are saturated and its rocks are [already] fractured,” he added.
Baguio City has yet to cope up with the traffic woes arising from the influx of its visitors, especially during the holidays.
“Sad to say, because of the city’s [geographic] mountainous structures,
we cannot do the expansion of road network,” Antiporda said.
He added the city has already lost its distinctive pine smell due to air pollution
The department will work out with the Baguio City government to
consider the use of electric vehicles to lower the pollution level of
the place, he said.
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