CAGAYAN DE ORO Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma has blamed illegal logging and irresponsible mining activities for the massive flooding that submerged Cagayan de Oro and neighboring towns at the height of Typhoon Sendong, December 16.
Illegal logging and mining activities have caused the degradation of the environment and the siltation of the river bed, said the archbishop in a pastoral letter released December 21.
“The continued hydraulic flush mining along Iponan River has likewise caused widespread flooding of the Canitoan-Iponan areas of the city,” he added.
Ledesma said it is important to boost the Cagayan de Oro River Basin Management Council to protect and conserve Cagayan de Oro’s river system, “our most precious natural resource after our human resources.”
Earlier, multi-sectoral groups led by Ledesma has petitioned President Benigno Aquino III to create the Cagayan de Oro River Basin Management Council that will oversee the protection of the city’s watershed area.
The resolution urged Aquino to prioritize the completion of the River Basin plan and to mandate the immediate coordination among responsible agencies and officials for its finalization.
“We also encourage the President to certify as urgent the pending legislative measures in Congress regarding the creation of the said River Basin Management Council and to implore the members of Congress to hasten the passage of such bill into law, which is tied to the adaptation strategy which is embodied in the national climate change action plan which the President signed last November 24, 2011,” the resolution partly read.
The entire river basin area of Cagayan de Oro River extends to the northwestern part of Bukidnon and surrounding areas. (CBCPNews)
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