LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Rep. Eric Yap recently donated some 1,000 kilos of iodized salt to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Benguet to boost the agency’s cloud seeding operations that will help bring rains to suppress the numerous forest fires that is ravaging thousands of hectares of forests in the different parts of the province aggravated by the ongoing El Nino phenomenon.
Earlier, Yap met with officials of the Cordillera office of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD-CAR), the BFP Benguet and the Philippine Air Force to formulate the appropriate strategies to suppress ongoing forest fires in the different parts of the province that continue to ravage various forests that affect the province’s state of the environment.
“Another forest fire incident is happening sa Atok, that’s why we donated 1,000 kilos of iodized salt to be used for cloud seeding operations. Bumili agad tayo last night and this morning, nadala na agad sa Bureau of Fire Protection. Hopefully, kaya na to produce enough rainfall sa mga malalakas pa na forest fires sa ngayon,” Yap said.
The solon added the initiatives aim to bolster the capabilities of these agencies in tackling the escalating infernos.
“Yan yung isa sa mga napag-usapan namin with OCD and BFP the other day, they should let me know anong kailangan pa, anong mabilis na paraan. Gaya nitong salt, natatagalan daw sa procurement process kaya delayed din ang operations. At marami pang iba na nakita naman where I can help. We met with the concerned agencies with that purpose in mind, kung paano mas mapapabilis pa and maging mas efficient ang response, pero mas palalakasin siyempre yung preventive measures,” Yap added.
Yap also pledged to take legislative action to address the root causes of forest fires in Benguet and vowed to craft legislation imposing stiffer penalties on forest arsonists, recognizing the importance of deterrence in preventing future catastrophes.
Yap’s commitment to enact legislation underscores his determination to safeguard not only the environment but also the communities threatened by these devastating fires.
“We are currently on heightened alert since we were informed of another forest fire in Atok. We call our kakailyan to practice safety precautions and to coordinate with the authorities in preventing and in responding to the forest fires,” Yap quipped.
Earlier, Yap filed a resolution in the House of Representatives that seeks to look into the capability of concerned government agencies to suppress the prevalence of forest fires that continue to pose a serious threat to the state of the environment in the province that would surely affect the province’s image as one of the headwaters of major river systems providing abundant water supply for lowland communities.
The said resolution is expected to be tackled by the concerned committee to allow concerned government agencies to formulate their respective comprehensive strategies to suppress the prevalence of forest fires in the different parts of the province in the future. By Dexter A. See