As Cagayan de Oro remembers the Sendong tragedy 11 years ago, Mayor Rolando “Klarex” Uy reaffirms the commitment of the city government to make the city resilient from natural disasters, especially with the onset of climate change impacts.

 

The RISE platform of governance (Regional leadership, Institutional development and people’s participation, Security and safety and Economic recovery) of the Klarex Uy administration is being aligned efforts at making the city resilient.

As part of the city’s economic recovery, Mayor Uy said that the city government is crafting policies and developing programs and project that would encourage climate change friendly investments in the city.

 

The city government is set to enhance the Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP), to integrate among others the city’s climate disaster risk management. The city’s development plans will also be aligned to climate change protocols.

The city government, according to Mayor Uy will cooperate and contribute substantially to commitments of the Philippine government to international agreements on climate change.

 

“As a city that is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, we need to do more for the safety of Cagayanons and contribute more to national efforts at climate change adaptation and mitigation,” said Mayor Uy.

“Dili nato kalimtan ang kasakit ug kadaut nga atong nasinati sa Sendong. Busa sa atong pagpadayon, atong paningkamotan unsaon nga mahimong luwas ang katawhan sa katalagman, sama sa baha, storm surges, bagyo,” Mayor Uy said, admitting that building a resilient Cagayan de Oro is a very difficult challenge as it includes rehabilitating forests outside the boundaries of the city.

 

The lives lost in Sendong can only be honored “kung aduna kita’y klaro nga plano -- roadmap -- unsaon pagpalambo ang atong pinalanggang syudad nga luwas ang katawhan sa katalagman,” Mayor Uy said.

A mass was held to commemorate the Sendong tragedy Friday morning at the Cathedral of St. Augustine on December 16, 2022. After the mass, a wreath-laying ceremony was also held at the Sendong Memorial at the Gaston Park.

 

Tropical Storm Sendong (Washi) caused torrential rains in the vast 137,000 hectare watershed of the Cagayan de Oro that stretches up to the slopes of the Mt. Kitanglad and Mt. Kalatungan in Bukidnon in the night December 16 and early morning of December 17 causing deadly flashfloods that resulted in the death of at least 674 people, displacing around 230,000 residents and damages of around P2 billion

 

Studies indicate that because of climate change, the risk of Cagayan de Oro experiencing such harrowing floods have sharply increased. In the last 10-years the city bore the brunt of four ‘100-year-cycle’ floods, starting with Sendong in 2011; Typhoon Pablo (Bopha) caused floods in December 2012; Vinta (Tembin) in December 2017; and Odette (Rai) in December 2021.

 

Sendong was considered as a 100-year cycle flood. Prior to Sendong last flood of similar severity was recorded in 1916. (CMO press release/photos by Rod Constantino/CIO)