Wednesday, December 21, 2011

President Benigno S. Aquino III Blames Illegal Logging

by Robert E. Roperos

President Benigno S. Aquino III on Tuesday said illegal logging activities partly caused the recent flashflood in Iligan City, which left at least 283 people dead and 406 missing according to a report from the City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD).

In his speech during the ceremonial distribution of relief goods at the Iligan City National High School (ICNHS) auditorium, Pres. Aquino said illegal activities must be stopped so that the disaster will not happen again.

He also directed the officials in Mindanao to take action against illegal logging activities in Iligan and nearby areas.

The President and his party arrived at ICNHS grounds at around 11 a.m. to distribute relief goods to flood victims. He was also briefed by National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Executive Director Undersecretary Benito Ramos.

After the engagement, the Presidential party went back to Cagayan de Oro and visited the flashflood victims housed in the evacuation center at Cagayan de Oro City Central School. The group then headed to Dumaguete City to assess the damages and extend financial assistance to the victims of Tropical Storm "Sendong."

In a related development, the Iligan City information office revealed that some 330 relief packs comprising blankets, mats, 3 kilos rice, noodles, coffees, sardines, and corned beefs from the Office of the President were distributed at the school's auditorium.

Meanwhile, data from the CSWD showed that as of December 19, 2011, 28 barangays were affected by the disaster. Families affected already reached 11,396 while houses totally damaged were 2,780 and 2,745 houses were partially damaged. Also, the estimated cost of damage is P195,833,856.

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