Sendong was never the first nor the only typhoon who swept the residence of the just recently flooded Barangays of Iligan City---we all know that!
More obviously, these flooded Barangays of Iligan City are those that are located beside the rivers of Mandulog-Bayug and Tubod-Iligan River.
Now, what I have in mind to stop and even solve this problem that we are facing is the RELOCATION of these people to safer places. No matter how much rain and how strong the flood that will pass these two giant rivers of Iligan No LIFE will be lost if there are no people that are living along the river banks. Government spends billions of pesos to aide these victims and yet they still return in this river banks once there is no flood then. So when the time that a flood will come destroy them, they cry for help. I am not saying that helping them is bad, but for heavens sake! Life is too precious to let them die and buried in the mud over and over again so long that there is typhoon that passes our own city.
I strongly believe that to achieve a "zero casualty" the government should transfer these people to somewhere safe and not beside any river.
Message to the Victims of the Flash Floods
1. To the victims of the flash floods, if you don't want this tragedy to happen to you again, "Please do not say "No" when a relocation is offered to you by the government."2. Iliganons don't fret always. Lets help each other. In the past days, many have been shouting for more water, there...you are given more water.3. Avoid the blame game. Listening to the radio is quite disappointing lately. Criticizing politicians and etc., which is not of use to the present situation we are faced of.4. In God's grace we want to help you, please let us not hear words that make us down and make the few lowly. Nakakapanghina ng loob if you can hear victims complaining "ay naku damit lang at tubig ang binigay nakakasawa na." Hearing this words broke my heart and when you give them clothes "ay nakakuha talaga ako ng pambasahan" and judging from what I saw of what she is holding maganda pa sa suot ko ang hawak nya. People I knew in Facebook wants to help you and they didn't even ask for your "thank you". Of course not all victims fret, that is why every time someone say "thank you" made my tears fell and made me even more motivated to help more people.
I am sure if these people will remain at the flooded area, in several years from now this flood will come back and will washed them back and another casualty. Now if you don't want to die how the one thousand Iliganon died in the flash floods---vacate the place.
Message to the Government
1. Please offer a relocation site. Not just a relocation site, but a safer relocation site. I've heard some of the victims of the recent flood were from Tambacan and was relocated to Bayug. It is sad that they did not die while they are in Tambacan and yet they died when they are relocated in Bayug.2. Implement the Total Log Ban, don't just say it! Do it! Been hearing this for so many years and yet illegal logging is still occurring. 3. Please make our rivers safe by constructing control measures like strong and reliable rip-raps. Grow more trees. in the river banks please and please and please do studies to determine what species of trees to plant before planting them. If you don't know yet, any kind of trees don't just grow wherever it is planted. Trees grow and survived according to topography and kind of soil.4. If there are these hard headed people who wants to stay and build a house in the flooded area, please strictly implement building codes for those places that are flooded. As I noticed houses that has strong foundations are left. No trees will be cut, if strict implementation of building codes are being done.
Feel free to suggest solutions for the flash floods problems in Iligan City and Philippines by commenting...