Mayor orders evacuation
at Escalante danger zone
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Residents of a remote area in Escalante town, declared a permanent danger zone by the Mines Geosciences and Bureau after experiencing landslides in the past and now with growing fissures in the ground, were evacuated Tuesday and yesterday to ensure their safety, Escalante Mayor Melecio Yap said.

Yap said he ordered the evacuation to remove residents of Sitio Baluk in barangays Malasibog and Paitan, about 5 kilometers from the city proper, away from harm’s way, after the recent landslides in Mindanao.

The residents of the area had been told to evacuate before, but had refused to do so, the mayor said. There have been slight movements reported in the earth in Baluk lately and rains have filled fissures in the ground with water raising concerns that new landslides could occur.

Escalante Mayor Melecio Yap yesterday said he did not know why his city was not given a share of the funds to ease the cut in the Internal Revenue Allotment for this year, since it was also a recipient of the Department of Interior of Local Government Seal of Good Housekeeping.

In fact, Escalante’s award was handed to him by DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo himself last year, Yap said.

Yap said he will follow up with the secretary why his city was not included .

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Negros Occidental yesterday concurred in a resolution of the Provincial Development Council, that approved the 20 Percent Development Fund for 2012 of P338,530,805 , to be used for payment of loan amortizations, and appropriation to development programs and projects of the provincial government.

The SP, on motion of Board Member Salvador Escalante Jr., chairperson of the committee on Finance, also granted authority to Governor Alfredo Maranon Jr. to allocate the amount for payment to the Land Bank of the Philippines, Development Bank of the Philippines and other lending institutions.

Of the 338.5 million 20 percent Development Fund for this year, Escalante said P222.5 million will be spent on various development programs and projects of the provincial government, while the remaining P115.9 million has been earmarked for payment to loan amortizations with DBP and LBP, among others.