Relocation of hundreds of Mt. Arayat folks pushed

SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga — Officials from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau and the Department of Public Works and Highways in Central Luzon have recommended the relocation of hundreds of residents living at the foot of Mt. Arayat in this province due to possible landslide and other natural disasters.

In a recommendation submitted to the Pampanga provincial government, the MGB said that living near the slopes of Mt. Arayat is not safe anymore as possible landslides or lahar flow may happen due to heavy downpour during typhoons and rainy seasons.

MGB explained that a huge volume of sediments such as pyroclastic materials, lava and huge boulders are found on the topside of the said mountain.

Geologists from MGB described the place as a permanent danger zone and “an accident waiting to happen.”

The recommendation came after officials and representatives from the Philippine Army, MGB, DPWH, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) found during the site inspection of the said area that possible landslides may occur in villages near Mt. Arayat.

The said inspection is part of an aerial survey and geological hazard study on the status of Mt. Arayat.

Geologist from MGB explained that these sediments were accumulated when this inactive volcano erupted 10,000 years ago.

Earlier, Orlando Pineda, chief geologist of MGB in Central Luzon, said the head of the landslide was observed at the mid-slope of the mountain, where the underlying soil is still soft and unstable.

“There are more rocks and soft soil that still block along the landslide path near the small creeks, that’s why there is a possibility that it will cascade again in Purok 7 and nearby areas. The landslide materials utilized the creek that drained towards this area, Purok 7. The area lies along this small creek,” he said.