Senate panel wants geohazard maps in Tagalog, other dialects

A Senate committee on Thursday suggested that geohazard maps be translated into Tagalog and other dialects so that they may be better understood by residents and local officials. During a briefing on the effects of Typhoon Pablo, Senate climate change committee chair Sen. Loren Legarda said there is a need for an intensified information campaign regarding geohazard maps. "Malaking tulong na rin yun ang ating pagagawa sa kanila simpleng Filipino at may iba't-ibang dialects," she told reporters in an interview after the briefing. Landslide-prone and flood-prone areas are marked by color on the geohazard maps of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). But Legarda said that not every person can understand the meaning of the colors and their legend. "Maliwanag na hindi siguro nakukuha, naintindihan o pinapatupad ang geohazard map at kailangan natin pagtrabahuhin ito para makasagip ng buhay," she said. DENR chief Ramon Paje said the department distributed geohazard maps to municipalities way back in 2007. However, some municipalities hit by Pablo reported that they have yet to receive the maps. Because of this, Legarda asked Paje to provide them with a soft copy of the maps for her committee to reproduce and redistribute to 1,600 municipalities nationwide. "Importante iparating sa ating mga lokal na komunidad, lokal na pamahalaan, ang mga geohazard maps na ito," she said. The senator said they plan to distribute CD, poster, and tarpaulin versions of the map. "Para malaman ng mga tao kung ako ba'y nakatira sa landslide area, kung ako ba'y nakatira sa babahain," she said. She said she will also use social networking sites like Facebook and her website to disseminate copies of the maps. Copies of the maps have also earlier been made available online by the DENR. But aside from this, Legarda also asked the DENR to hasten its remapping of municipalities nationwide for a better version of the geohazard map. During the briefing, DENR Mines and Geosciences Bureau director Leo Jasareno said that they will be able to finish the remapping by 2014. He said they have finished the remapping 380 of 1,600 municipalities. Paje said they are talking too long because they are short of geologists, noting that 80 left them already. "[But] we will try to hasten it," he said. — BM, GMA News