The acts of nature should not be blamed on men
This was the Zambales Foreshore Development and River Restoration Management Council or the ZFDRMC advised a group of critics after throwing another the latest tirade of disinformation over the on-going River Restoration Program in the major river channels in this province.
The latest of these disinformation tirades came from militant group PAMALAKAYA which claimed that more than 300 agoho (Casuarina equisetifolia ) trees along the shoreline of San Felipe of this province were deliberately uprooted by the ongoing dredging operations.
In a conversation with Zambales Provincial Engineering and Infrastructure Development (ZPEID) Consultant, and concurrent head of the ZFDRMC, Engineer Domingo Mariano, he asked why this group is blaming man for the acts of nature, which man has no control?
Engr. Mariano explained that the uprooted trees and structures that were destroyed in the area were actually built over the accretion land which has long been declared as danger zone by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
This was due to erosion caused by strong waves during typhoons, and not by dredging activities that save the greater number of lives and properties.
After eruption in 1991, the Mt. Pinatubo deposited billions of tons of lahar into major river channels and into the sea. These sand deposits were scattered along the shorelines and later form part of the extended shorelines on an average of 500 meters from the original lines.
DENR planted fast growing agoho trees, sometime in 2011, to help hold the soil and minimize, if not prevent, the erosion during typhoon, forbid the erection of any permanent structures inside the accretion area because of the danger of tidal erosion that could destroy everything, including trees and buildings above it, usually aggravated during storms.
Another disinformation was from Zambales Ecological Network (ZEN) which claim that fishermen near the river of San Felipe lost their livelihood due to dredging activities.
The truth is fishermen are now catching more fish by the tubs, thanking the provincial government for the continuous clearing of the river channel in their area.
Another truth, almost all of the resort owners in Santo Niño, San Felipe, Zambales are illegal, with no land title, no building permit, but only deed of sale from questionable persons claiming to be land owners. Representatives from DENR, EMB and MGB and the office of Zambales Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., have assured the worried owners that the government will extend help to them to resolve their concerns.
Groups with unknown interests should not interfere with the government projects, instead they should resort to dialogue, a win-win solution where no group was left behind. In dialogue problems are easily resolved, development is easily achieved.
