Landslide victims to GMA: Where is promised money for ‘killer mountain’ rehab?

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Residents and local officials in this town reiterated their long standing appeal to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the Department of Public Works and Highways to release funds to rehabilitate the “killer mountain” here in Little Kibungan, Puguis to prevent another incident that could result to loss of lives and damage to properties during the rainy season.

During the onslaught of Typhoon Pepeng last year, 175 people were killed, hundreds of others were wounded and multi-million worth of public and private properties were destroyed when a huge portion of a mountain fronting Little Kibungan village suddenly collapsed and buried nearly 50 houses in the area.

Despite the earlier commitment of the President to immediately rehabilitate the dangerous mountain slope because of reported cracks on several portions, the alarmed residents claimed no significant works were done in the place except for the clearing of the landslides that blocked the smooth flow of traffic along the Pico-Lamtang road.

According to the remaining residents in Little Kibungan, the remaining portion of the “killer mountain” remains a threat to the hundreds of people living near it, thus, the need for concerned government agencies to introduce mitigating measures in order to prevent the lose soil from being washed down by the upcoming strong rains and affect the people and their properties.

However, engineer Alexander Castaneda, DPWH assistant regional director, said the request for funding was submitted to their central office right after the emergency meeting called by the President in October, a few days after the onslaught of the typhoon but it seems the same request was probably lost in transit.

He said the agency, with local officials, will reiterate their previous request so the President and the DPWH could release at least P30 million for projects in the area to prevent future incidents that could result to loss of lives and damage to properties.

Based on plans, Castaneda said there is need to construct a breast wall with a base of 3 to four meters and at least 80 meters x 60 meters to serve as a catchment basin for the debris that will fall from the mountain slope coupled with the benching or terracing of the area to reduce the risk posed by the expected occurrence of soil erosion in the coming months.

He added widening activities will also be done in the area to ensure safety of motorists travelling along the road, especially during the rainy season when there is threat of landslides considering loose soil composition in the area.

Castaneda said implementation of mitigating works in the Little Kibungan area is considered a priority among other calamity projects in the region.

He said he could not understand why funding for the project was never released despite numerous releases of calamity funds for other major projects.

Little Kibungan is located along the Pico-Lamtang road and is bounded by geologically hazardous barren mountains.