BY MATÉ ESPINA
FLOOD waters hit Negros Occidental again, this time in San Carlos City, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents and made roads impassable to and from this city over the weekend.
Many social media posts are pointing to abuse of the environment as the cause of the flooding that has struck the province in three consecutive weekends since New Year’s Day.
As recovery efforts are being made in the third district which covers the cities of Talisay, Silay, Victorias and the town of E.B. Magalona that were badly affected by two consecutive weekend flooding, heavy rains over the weekend diverted mountain waters to the other side, hitting San Carlos City that sits across Cebu island.
Many social media posts call it as an ominous warning that we have clearly abused our environment. Blame is being pointed at quarry operators, posh residences, resorts and businesses that have sprouted over the years in the mountains including in reservation areas, other infrastructure programs that warrants clearing portions of the remaining forest cover in the province.
Although flood waters were not as bad in San Carlos as what happened in the third district that forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes as waters reach 13 feet in some areas, most residents in the city voluntarily evacuated upon seeing waist-deep waters as they have never experienced that kind of flooding in their locality.
San Carlos City disaster officer, Joe Alingasa Jr. said Andoon and Palampas rivers and Baticulan creek overflowed and ten houses along Andoon River were swept away due to riverbank erosion.
Officials say plastic waste that usually clog waterways were not the cause as this has been addressed before and the fact that waters subsided immediately showed that the drainage system in place works.
But the massive downpour from the mountains may have brought debris that clogged the waterways, prompting San Carlos City Mayor Renato Gustilo to plan for the widening of waterways, including exit points of creeks and rivers in flood prone areas.
The environment officer also said there is a need to double efforts in tree planting as trees are the frontliners to prevent flooding.
In nearby Guihulngan town which is already part of Negros Oriental, another wave of evacuation also happened over the weekend, but this time due to military pursuit operations against members of the New People’s Army.
Reports said military troopers had four separate encounters with rebel groups in the mountainous villages of Guihulngan last Saturday. Twenty families had to evacuate to safety as the military conducted air strikes to flush the rebels out.
The Special Action Force unit were also deployed to the area, particularly in Barangay Trinidad which remains a priority area in ending armed conflict.
Col. Michael Samson, the acting brigade commander of the 303rd Infantry Brigade reported that there are no casualties from the government side and they are trying to ascertain still if there are casualties on the rebels side.
Michael is a good friend, a classmate from the elementary and high school days. We were supposed to have a coffee break with some friends over the weekend but he had to cancel last minute. I only found out the reason after reading the news, but already had an inkling that there may have been encounters as helicopters were flying around, most probably deployed from a police camp that is near my residence.
Guihulngan has been an area of concern in the past couple of years now. Many unsolved killings of suspected rebels and sympathizers of the communist group have happened there lately.
Meanwhile, we will finally get to see the much talked about “COVID-19 Filmmakers’ Diaries” which will be launched virtually this Friday, January 22, at 6:00 PM via the EksenaCQ Facebook Page.
Sixteen filmmakers from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, including our very own former media colleague, Mark Garcia, will showcase films they’ve made under the pandemic.
“Lockdowns and quarantines did not deter 16 filmmakers from chronicling their struggles and triumphs during the pandemic time in the way they know best to tell their story – film,” their release said.
The ECQ (Eksena Cinema Quarantine) is a project of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts together with the University of St. La Salle-Artists’ Hub and will showcase the outputs of Adjani Arumpac, Hiyas Baldemor Bagabaldo, Arbi Barbarona, Glenn Barit, Carlo Enciso Catu, Zurich Chan,Arden Rod Condez, Kristian Sendon Cordero, Khavn dela Cruz, Keith Deligero, Kyle Fermindoza, Bagane Fiola, Julienne Ilagan, Pam Miras, Guillermo Ocampo and Mark.
National Committee on Cinema (NCC) chair Rolando Tolentino said that even though it was very challenging to do films during this time, “If we do not sustain art and culture, we would not have the testament that the pandemic indeed happened. These films will become testaments that we lived this way (now) – just like Noli Me Tangere – which gave us idea on what happened during the Spanish colonialism because Jose Rizal wrote Noli Me Tangere. That becomes a powerful testament over time even after centuries.”/PN
