The floods and landslides in recent years served as a reminder to the people of Leyte to take care of their environment. These natural disasters served to focus their attention on the harm done to the environment since the disasters were generally agreed to be man-made due to indiscriminate logging activities. The Philippines is in the typhoon path and typhoons visit the country on average about 20 times annually. About 10 typhoons that pass by the Philippines are considered Category 3 and this fact should have more urgency with regards to environmental protection programs. Recent examples such as the St. Bernard mudslide and the flash floods of Ormoc City a decade earlier serve to emphasize that Nature will take its revenge when man disregards the environment.

the whole village of St. Bernard, Leyte
The ever-present threat of these twin disasters is due to the wide denudation of Leyte’s once lush forest cover. Today, less than 10% of its mountains have sufficient cover that can be considered as rain forest. The rest of the mountainous areas have been cleared to give way to sugar cane plantations, banana plantations and pineapple plantations. Mudslides are now recurring with alarming frequency due to the soil erosion after all trees was cut in a certain area. Population growth has also impacted on the environment with the proliferation of subdivisions. The provinces and local government units have belatedly undertaken reforestation programs but it will be years away before anything resembling the original forest can grow.
one of the tragedy victims…

Today, various mitigating measures are being implemented to prevent a repetition of the same tragedies. For one, the government must be alert enough to prepare for floods and landslides by using satellite data that can be disseminated to the local populace to warn them of impending disasters. For another, the government must have the political will to go after illegal loggers who denuded the thick forests of Leyte. This is a bit difficult to do since most of the illegal loggers are powerfully connected but a movement from the lower masses to be vigilant is the only effective antidote. Only a few people really benefited from the riches of Leyte’s forest resources but a new alternative livelihood program is now in place that makes local people also stakeholders of the forest areas near their place. It is a safeguard only.