A slightly shortened Open Letter of concern to Sangguniang Panglungsod was read to the SP in a Privileged Speech by Councilor Pilar C. Braga on Tuesday July 5, 2011 at about 4pm. It seemed to be well-received and a couple of councilors made oblique references to it later in the Session.
It also appeared in full text entitled Open letter of concern to the Davao City Council on the Matina Pangi June 28, 2011 flashfloods in the Mindanao Times on pages 11 and 38. It was likely published in other media as well.
"A confluence of factors" was the Mindanao Times editorial for Wednesday June 11, (copy attached) Patrick Guasa a licensed environment planner was quoted as saying "that surely the flash flood was not a freak incident as many would claim. It was, in his words, 'the result of the failure to harness and harmonize the synergy of land form, natural phenomena and human activity' ."
For me, one of his hardest hitting and most interesting opinions was
The seemingly unrelated, inconsequential decisions that created the catastrophic flood along the Matina river last week requires decision makers in Davao City and specific bureaucrats in government line agencies to be level upon the table, plumb straight line straight, with corners squared, whose compass bears straight and true towards the long term gain and well-being of everyone in the communities within the Matina river watershed. Which should include all areas of Davao City where land use has to harmonize the confluence of land form, natural phenomena and human activity.
An excellent summary of what has gone before and direction for the future.
Do the DENR, MGB, City Engineers Office have a very limited number of vehicles with which to travel and spend time in a given area?
I have also attached below some sharp pointed editorial cartoons and pictures from years past that have all pointed to what happened in the Matina area and what will happen also to Shrine Hill. I don't know about you, but they make me extremely angry.
Stacey Baird
No comments:
Post a Comment