Help Naga by keeping jobs in Naga City
Finally, some 1,146 families or 3,899 individuals from five barangays near the landslide site in Naga City, Cebu, have been made to evacuate upon orders of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Those residents come from barangays Tinaan, Mainit, Naalad, Pangdan, and Cabungahan, which are inside the one-kilometer radius from the landslide. If only they did this earlier, no one would have perished in that landslide. I heard that some families have reportedly asked to stay but authorities are bent on taking them away from danger. Indeed, there should be no exemptions, everyone must leave the area.
We gathered that Naga City Councilor Carmelino Cruz, Jr., chief of Naga’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and manager of the emergency operation center, went house-to-house to bring residents out of the danger zone. Thankfully, the local government units are really moving now to ensure the safety of their residents. We also gathered that Naga City has already identified a relocation site in Barangay Tinaan and is starting to conceptualize a housing project. This is in line with the promise of President Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte that he will push for the relocation site of the landslide victims.
Meanwhile, I saw on my Facebook page the funeral rites of a good number of the dead in this disaster. The only positive think I could think of is the realization that this incident is the first that we’ve heard that ever happened in Naga City. Incidentally, I got an email from a reader who suggested to shut down the Cemex plant and turn Naga into a food terminal. Honestly, doing so doesn’t solve the problem. Many people come to Naga for work and it is one locality where jobs can be found, be it in a cement plant or in one of the power plants that supply Cebu Province.
Last Friday night, President Duterte told survivors he will direct Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council Chairman Eduardo del Rosario to build the houses at the relocation site.
He also said that the government will handle hospital expenses of those still under medical care and the burial expenses of those who perished. This is where the popularity of the president can be found, he is always in areas where there is a disaster and he always brings aid to those who need it.
Meanwhile, we learned from Representative Rodrigo Abellanosa of Cebu City’s South District that he will call for an investigation into the Naga incident in Congress. Apparently, Abellanosa is the chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources and he pointed out that there are already pending resolutions for a probe into the landslide in Benguet. So I guess Naga is next in line. We will just deal with that when the day of investigation comes and it becomes headline news.
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Remember presidential spokesman Harry Roque? According to the latest political survey, political families dominated the Pulse Asia poll, which was conducted from September 1 to 7 for future senatorial candidates. Roque gathered ranked 29th to 36th. In a line where voters would choose only 15 candidates, Roque is expected to lose his senatorial bid if he pursues his political ambition. In making comments about his low ranking, Roque said: “In this country, it’s the children of the senators, those who have been in politics who stand a very good chance of being reelected. So nothing has changed.”
That latest SWS survey revealed that Senator Grace Poe topped the survey, followed by Senator Cynthia Villar, Taguig Representative Pia Cayetano, and Senator Nancy Binay. Also in the top 12 are Davao City mayor and presidential daughter Sara Duterte Carpio, Senator Sonny Angara, former senator Jinggoy Estrada, Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, former senator Lito Lapid, former senator Serge Osmeña, and former interior secretary and presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II.
But lest you have already forgotten, the elections will happen next year yet and there are a lot of things that could happen in the next few months before Christmas. There are still many variables that could surface that could change the ranking in this latest survey. Remember that is only for the senatorial race. What we would like to see is that latest survey in the race for the local government seats. Abangan!
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