Kamayan Forum: Deadly Flash Flood in Mindanao!

Kamayan Forum, February 17, 2012:
In Northern Mindanao: A Deadly Flood of Mud
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Days were rushing past mid-January 2012 in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan in Northern Mindanao. Then, dissaster struck and caught everyone by grieving surprise, and the flash flood carrying mud from the suddenly swollen Cagayan de Oro river left more than 1,200 dead and many others injured and missing. Days later, a pat on the back came from the United Nations—we were praised! Our government, church, and civil society organization leaders were commended for coordinating closely to address the chaotic situation brought on by so much death and destruction.

.....“Clearly, you have done very impressive work,” gushed Margareta Wahlstrom, head of the Geneva-based UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, who is also the official representative on disaster risk reduction of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. The national government was actively engaged throughout from rescue and relief work to building new houses for flash flood survivors who have lost their homes permanently.

....The UN congratulatory greeting could be taken as saying, "It could have been much worse, it you had not been able to collectively respond well enough... Unless you take the matter of prevention seriously, it will likely be much worse the next time!"

....Local government and non-government leaders have been conducting assessment meetings to analyze their collective performance in disaster response. A summit meeting to be led by Sen. Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III has been scheduled to be held in Cagayan de Oro City this coming weekend. This coming Third Friday, February 17, the almost 21-year-old Kamayan para sa Kalikasan monthly environmental forum will focus its discussion on the same disaster and the matters of prevention and resiliency.

....Sen Pimentel has been invited to come as main speaker or to send his representative. Another resource person will be Bency Ellorin, who has been for many years the leader of the Task Force Macajalar, the people's broad environmentalist coalition in the region. He has also been a leader of Partido Kalikasan.

....Kamayan para sa Kalikasan has been convened on the third Friday of every month (10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.) through free lunch) since March 1990. It has never missed a scheduled session since it was started then by the Clear Communicators for the Environment (CLEAR). In 2002, CLEAR was joined as co-convenor by the SanibLakas ng mga Aktibong Lingkod ng Inang Kalikasan (SALIKA), headed by Marie Reyes-Marciano, founding president, who has been the forum's lead moderator since that year. It has been fully sponsored all these almost 22 years by the Kamayan-Saisaki-Dad's Restaurant (marked "K" in map) along EDSA, near the SEC/Ortigas area, in Mandaluyong City, its regular venue.

.......This coming forum's session will start with special prayers and a brief tribute for CLEAR and Kamayan Forum founder, Vic "Mr. Kalikasan Vigilante" Milan who died in his sleep some three weeks ago after a lingering heart ailment. CLEAR Vice President Ed Aurelio Reyes, the forum's lead organizer, said efforts will be made to revive CLEAR as a strong media-based group. Some of the forum guests will come this Friday with this intention.

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