Iloilo City – Regional Director Leo Van V. Juguan of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau Region-6 (MGB-6) cautions those who are living in areas that are highly prone to landslides and flooding to take precautionary measures now that typhoon Pablo is expected to make a landfall in the southern part of Panay Island, Guimaras Island and the northern portions of Negros Occidental based on the PAG-ASA Weather Advisory.
Based on the 6:00 AM PAG-ASA advisory today, “tropical depression “Pablo” is expected to affect the southern part of Panay Island that includes Iloilo City, and municipalities in the south such as Oton, Miagao and San Joaquin. Guimaras Island is also part of the areas that will be affected based on the direction of the typhoon’s movement.
Director Juguan said that the DENR-MGB-6 issued advisories to all provinces reminding of the areas in Region 6 that are highly prone to landslides based on the rapid geohazard assessments conducted from 2006-2010.
The provinces of Iloilo, Antique, and Negros Occidental have the most number of barangays with high vulnerability to landslides.
In Iloilo, the municipalities of Leon, San Joaquin, Tubungan, Igbaras, Miagao, Lambunao, Calinog, Alimodian, Janiuay, and Concepcion have the most number of high-risk barangays to landslides.
In Antique, eight municipalities topped the most number of barangays as highly prone to landslides namely San Remigio, Laua-an, Patnongon, Hamtic, Valderrama, Barbaza, Sibalom, and Tobias Fornier.
The municipalities in Negros Occidental that have the most number of high risk barangays are La Castellana, Calatrava, Salvador Benidicto, Isabela, Pontevedra, Cadiz City, Murcia, Cauayan, San Carlos City, and Kabankalan City.
Communities living in low-lying areas, floodplains, coastal areas, delta, marshland and swamp are cautioned for floods as these are usually flood-prone areas.
Eight (8) municipalities were subject of a more detailed geohazard assessment on a map scale of 1:10,000 this year. These are Calinog, Janiuay, and Maasin, Iloilo, Patnongon, Antique, Kalibo and Numancia, Aklan Dao and Sigma, Capiz.
In the detailed geohazard mapping, barangays are being assessed are those identified as Moderately-Highly Susceptible to Landslides in the Semi-Detailed Mapping (1:50,000), and even barangays that have Low or None in Susceptibility depending on geographic coordinates.
Relocation sites are being identified, and sitios, schools and important infrastructures in the barangays are checked for landslide susceptibility
Detailed geohazard mapping is a three-year program that started in 2011.