MANKAYAN, Benguet – The municipal government in partnership with the barangay officials and other kind-hearted volunteers intensified the massive road clearing operations to ensure that landslides along various roads in the locality will be cleared to ensure the continuous delivery of agricultural crops from the farms to the markets so as not to cause artificial shortage of vegetables that will result to unprecedented price increases.
Mayor Frenzel A. Ayong stated that the municipal disaster risk reduction and management office (MDRRMO) is spearheading the aggressive clearing of landslides with the active participation of the concerned barangays and volunteers such as the small-scale miners and the farmers to allow the uninterrupted delivery of agricultural crops from the farms to the markets.
He admitted that the more than 3 weeks of continuous rains caused by the enhanced southwest monsoon resulted to the occurrence of many soil erosions and landslides along various barangay, municipal, provincial and national roads in the municipality that temporarily impeded the smooth flow of vehicular traffic and delayed the delivery of the agricultural produce of farmers to the nearest markets.
However, the local chief executive disclosed that because of the spirit of voluntarism displayed by the different groups of small-scale miners who allowed the free use of their units of heavy equipment, the farmers and concerned residents, many of the small erosions were immediately cleared while major landslides that transpired in various roadlines in the municipality took some tie to be cleared with the use of available units of heavy equipment from the public works department, municipal government and even private contractors.
Mayor Ayong commended the sustained display of the spirit of voluntarism and ‘bayanihan’ among the residents because the same speaks well of the concern for the greater welfare of the people, especially the farmers whose agricultural produce should not be delayed from being transported to the nearest markets for them to be able to command higher buying prices that will allow them to earn sufficient income to continue uplifting the living condition of their families.
According to him, it is definitely inspiring to witness people working together in trying to speed up the clearing of debris that obstruct the smooth flow of vehicular traffic along major roads in the municipality as they are doing the same for the benefit of their fellow residents wanting to be able to immediately bring their produce to the markets without unnecessary delays.
With the weather getting better, the mayor reminded residents to continue clearing the waterways within their properties from whatever obstructions that will obstruct the smooth flow of water as the rainy season is not yet over to avoid the occurrence of untoward incidents that might compromise the safety of life and limb once there will be similar incidents of continuous monsoon rains in the coming months.
In behalf of the town’s officialdom, he expressed his gratitude to the numerous volunteers that displayed their unrelenting and uncompromising support to the concerned government agencies and the local government in ensuring the immediate clearing of roads from the occurrence of landslides that were caused by the continuous monsoon rains over the past 3 weeks.
The mayor explained that the spirit of voluntarism that had been displayed by the concerned residents should serve as a fitting example for the present and future generations for them to put to practice the good traits and values they were able to witness from their elders.
He encouraged the barangay disaster risk reduction and management councils to continue their information and education campaign in their respective areas of jurisdiction to ensure the awareness of the residents to the impending hazards in their places and for them to learn about the appropriate strategies to achieve zero casualties during the onslaught of natural and man-made calamities. By HENT