By Alex S. Villanueva, Jr.

A TWO-HECTARE large crack on a mountain in Sofronio Española is getting town officials worried of more possible landslides that could affect the lives of many residents.

On June 4, Abo-Abo village chief Juan Martinez reported to local radio stations in Puerto Princesa that they heard a loud explosion originating from the mountainous part of sitio Catpakan that was followed by a landslide.

Located 130 kilometers south of Puerto Princesa, Sofronio Española is a 4th class and the newest municipality in the province, created by a plebiscite in May 1994 from land that was formerly a part of Brooke’s Point. According to a 2000 census, the town has a population of 26,801 people in 5,479 households, living in nine barangays.

Municipal Mayor Marcito Acoy and other LGU officials expressed anxiety that if heavy rains continue in the following days, the whole of the mountain might collapse and affect many lives.

DRWM-Radyo ng Bayan Palawan reporter Goody Sarsagat said the mountain area was already denuded due to unabated illegal logging and the slash-and burning farming method (kaingin) heavily practiced by local residents.

Sarsagat said she personally witnessed the sad state of the forest in the town when she was a community organizer of the European Union-funded Palawan Tropical Forestry Protection Program (PTFPP) from 1997 to 2000.

Renato Solidum, director of Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PhiVolcs), told local radio station DYPR that he already received reports of a landslide in Sofronio Espanola, noting it was an “incipient” one, or just the beginning.

But he assured residents that there is no need to panic because there is no active fault and volcano in their municipality. He said the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department Environment and Natural Resources (MGB-DENR) is the proper agency that will map up potential areas to be affected if more landslides happen. This agency will also determine the distance of the danger zone.

Cathy Laracas of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) Palawan Chapter said they are coordinating with other local government officials and other concerned government agencies for the possible evacuation of residents in the landslide prone area. Almost 40 households, mostly belonging to tribal communities, will be affected by the landslide and need to be evacuated in the area.

As of press time, Acoy has been informed to evacuate those living at the foot of the mountain evacuated to safer places.