Business, Economics and Consulting

We all know somebody who knows somebody who has yet to fully recover from the twin furies of Ondoy and Pepeng. I, for one, have a friend who inherited his parents’ house in Marikina. After working for several years with an international oil company, he was able to transform the once humble bungalow into a well-appointed home with all the accoutrements and comfort that money can buy – full renovation, rainfall showers, central air-conditioning, designer furniture and the latest toys for big boys.

The events last month have become all-too familiar, though: all of what he lovingly put into his home through the sweat of his brow was engulfed in the sticky embrace of muck and mud. My friend is seriously considering relocating to Quezon City, severely traumatized by seeing his house totally submerged in floodwaters while freezing on his neighbor’s rooftop. But he is still one of the lucky ones. He is lucky because he recognizes that he has the choice to stay or to go somewhere else.

Unfortunately, this choice is something that most Filipinos feel they do not have. For most of us, the struggles of one lifetime are not enough to buy even just one home – if something like Ondoy happens, would you have enough energy left to start again in a new place?

As a planner with an academic background, it would be easy for me to say what is logical: since natural hazards happen in the same place over and over again and if your community gets affected, get out of there because it will happen again! But if there is one thing that we can learn from the bitter experience of Manila, it is the fact that, as I’ve said in my previous articles, settlement areas have encroached flood and landslide prone areas and not only in Luzon but in our fair city as well. However, out of the four (4) possible interventions for hazard-prone areas (planning, monitoring or timely disaster response, mitigation and resettlement), the last option is what it is: the final resort – and often pursued only when all else fails.

Take, for instance, Shrine Hills. Discussions on the best course of action to take for the titled lots on this section of the city have been ongoing ever since the MGB identified the area as highly susceptible to landslides. However, the fact remains that communities have existed in these slide-prone areas for decades before all this talk of climate change and disaster preparedness. It is these same communities that have been advocating for the rezoning of Shrine Hills from residential use to other non-built up types of development. They have also ceaselessly lobbied that no new developments be allowed in the area. The vigilance with which these concerned citizens have pursued the issue is nothing short of laudable. Since they live in a known hazard area, their apprehensions are understandable and require pro-active action by the authorities.

Thus, the City Government and the Sangguniang Panglunsod ng Dabaw need to make their position clear on the issue of Shrine Hills and the other flood and landslide prone areas in the city.

First, will they continue to allow new developments in these areas based on the existing zoning ordinance? Residential zones are fodder for developers, especially if they are prime property such as those lots in Shrine Hills.

Second, will they rezone these areas from residential or commercial to other non-built-up types of land uses? If so, the integration of the hazard maps available in the City Planning Office in a new zoning ordinance is essential, and the legislation of this new zoning by the SP very critical.

Thirdly, if they indeed rezone, what do they intend to do with the existing communities in hazard prone areas? Will they mitigate? Will they relocate? If mitigation is the preferred solution, then where will the resources for engineering interventions come from? If it is relocation, on the other hand, will the residents living in the area willingly cooperate? From a logical and academic perspective, the simplest intervention is to relocate all elements at risk in the known hazard prone areas of Davao City.

While it is yet not too late, we should not wait for an extreme scenario like Ondoy or Cherry Hills to happen here in Davao. But, it is only through applying a consultative and participatory approach will we be able to identify and implement long-term solutions that are acceptable to all. By engaging communities in these risky areas in true dialogue, the local government can help make them feel that they have a choice.

But whether the authorities decide on rezoning, mitigation, response or relocation, one thing is clear, and I have said this in my previous articles: nothing will happen if there is no political will.

Feel free to send your comments to nic_agustin@yahoo.com.