IPs court Charmp after Lando’s visit

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

March L. Fianza

After the storm, I could not stop traveling back to Kapangan in my mind where the Kapihan and press briefing usually coordinated by the Philippine Information Agency was held before Lando’s visit.

I asked myself if the projects costing hundreds of millions of foreign funds implemented through the Cordillera Highland Agricultural Resource Management Project 2 (CHARMP 2) were able to withstand Lando’s wrath. We do not have that information.

What I am certain about is that IP (indigenous people) communities will clamor for more of the same sustainable projects even as CHARMP 2 winds up its activities this year. Project Manager Cameron P. Odsey said that may be possible thru the regular programs of the Department of Agriculture.

The duration of projects under CHARMP 2 that was started in 2009 to end in 2015 had a total funding cost amounting to US$66.4 Million coming from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund for International Development (OFID), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The money was spent on sustainable and acceptable projects in 170 Barangays in 37 Municipalities in six provinces in the region. Benguet’s eight municipalities comprising 35 barangays benefited from the seven-year program.

For example, Charles A. Picpican, the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator enumerated the amounts spent on poverty alleviation projects as P792,428,663.03 for the construction of Farm to Market Roads; P51,490,772.07 for Footpaths; Footbridges - P12,886,540.92; Communal Irrigation Systems - P100,095,050.23; Domestic Water Supply - P93,044,802.73; and Community Infrastructure/Social Infrastructure - P47,497,140.71.

These were the same projects that were used to be funded by the controversial Priority Development Assistance Fund or PDAF of senators and congressmen. The goal is no different from that of CHARMP 2 such as poverty reduction and improvement of the quality of life of rural highland indigenous peoples.

What I am pointing out is that for as long as such goals are not met, IP communities will clamor for more of CHARMP’s charm if only to improve the quality of life. And even while third termer Mayor Robert Canuto of Kapangan seeks a seat in the provincial board come 2016, he insists that poverty alleviation projects such as those implemented by CHARMP 2 be allotted for all 144 barangays in Benguet.

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Before Lando’s visit, Police C/Supt. Ulysses Abellera, PNP Cordillera regional director, fulfilled his promise to call a traffic summit to thresh out issues and come up with possible solutions. We thank him as we anticipate a second meeting to follow up what has been 

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There are two forms of damages related to the environment. One is caused by natural calamities, the other is manmade. As reports from the ground arrived, the list of casualties in the Cordillera was updated to 21 with Benguet having 15 deaths that was caused by typhoon Lando that lingered on land for a longer time than expected.

Most casualties were killed due to landslides and flash floods triggered by Lando, which devastated large tracts of farmland in northern and central Luzon over the weekend.

As of press time, local and national agencies have yet to give their final assessment of the actual deaths, damages in agriculture and infrastructure brought about by Lando. Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works and Highways reported over 30 road cuts in the Cordillera.

Initially as of this writing, national “disaster” officials estimated that Lando damaged crops costing as much as P8.24 billion, and more than P1.19 million in infrastructure.

One does not have to read the news to agree that Typhoon Lando was one wicked and playful storm that hit Baguio and Benguet – digging up electric posts, cutting and stepping on trees standing on its way, toppling mountains and destroying roads by pouring hundreds of millimeters of rain.

At around 4 AM Sunday morning, I was stirred by noise that sounded like a helicopter hovering nearby. I got up to look around but saw nothing. At daybreak, I saw the whole roof of the covered court of Tabora Elementary School blown off from its posts and lying upside down on the roof of the main building. The same thing happened to the roof of SM Baguio days after.

Thanks to the men and women of the weather bureau for making early assessments of how mischievous Lando would be once it made landfall. That was the reason why there were lesser casualties in other provinces as compared to Benguet.

Disasters are not always caused by nature. Even man creates and contributes to disasters. And as reported in the news, Interior Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento relieved Benguet provincial police director Senior Supt. David Lacdan from his post due to his alleged poor performance in the face of Typhoon Lando’s fury.

In Sarmiento’s assessment, he found Lacdan’s failure to notify residents and properly implement the preemptive evacuation of residents of Benguet as furious Lando slowly moved in towards Northern Luzon early Sunday morning.

In short, Sec. Sarmiento found Lacdan’s alleged poor performance that is equivalent to inefficiency in disaster preparation. In fact, to prove a point, I received a text message of a police report that I am pasting here as is and unedited. The SMS was the ff:

Alleged Gas Poisoning. At 10:PM October 22, 2015 gas poisoning transpired at Luneta          Loakan Itogon Benguet wherein three victims identified Sabado Maliongan, Igan Lomebyang and Ricky Licawen all native of Kili Tubo Abra and presently residing at Sitio luneta Brgy. Loakan Itogon Benguet. Progres report to follow. fyi (please hold the date for verification)

I received the SMS from PSupt Cherry Fajardo at exactly 6:17:26pm on Oct. 22, 2015 – or three hours and 43 minutes ahead of the time when the actual gas poisoning incident allegedly took place. I called her attention but no verification of information followed, instead I received unnecessary arrogant responses such as “Kaya ngay may hold” (date for verification). Aray! That was a disaster.

How can that be? An information such as this that is intended for news publications creates confusion and chaos rather than truthfulness and clarity. In the first place, it is not worth disseminating or sending thru cell phone text if there are parts of the information that still need verification.

Because once false information is published, it is the newspaper or the broadcast network that gets the ire of the public, not the informant. The news outfit is discredited and humiliated. That, at least was a lesson learned through years of news editing.

I appreciate the work that PSupt. Fajardo does. I only hope and pray that her actions did not contribute to the alleged poor performance and inefficiency of PSSupt. Lacdan that led to his relief.