Get real

GRANTING that the planned Tsunami Hill was thought of with the best of intentions and ingenuity, it still does not give good reason for Dagupan City Hall officials to rush into the construction of the project as it is apparently doing so.

An expert from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has spoken. The design, as it is, will not really protect the residents of Pugaro Island from a tsunami as it is supposed to. If built based on its current blueprint, this Tsunami Hill will only give a false sense of safety to the people. And this will prove to be a bigger tragedy than a natural calamity hitting the coastal city.

Jose Lignes Jr. of the Geotechnical Environmental and Regional Geology Section of the Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau, upon initial inspection of the site, also expressed reservation about the project noting that liquefaction and differential settlement could prove to be geo-hazards that will impact on the structure. At the very least, the Tsunami Hill will have to be re-designed to address these and that will most likely mean an even higher cost.

According to Science Research Specialist Joan Salcedo, the representative sent by Phivolcs to help the Sangguniang Panlungsod evaluate the proposed project, the threat of a tsunami devastating Dagupan is very real. That means the city needs valid solutions to minimize the potential damage to lives, if not properties and infrastructure. The P10 million budget for the structure would go a long way in preparing a refuge within the mainland (which could mean coordinating with a neighboring town considering that the entire city is at high risk) and conducting preparedness drills not just for the Pugaro community but also the rest of Dagupan’s residents.

Let’s listen to the experts, something which city hall officials should have done in the first place before getting all excited with this project. Let’s get real with this Tsunami Hill.

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Sold or not?

TWENTY-ONE years after selling their seven/eight parcels of land, the Coronas were still the listed owners of the property.  This was the assertion of the prosecution panel on Day 28 of the impeachment trial against Renato C. Corona.

The defense, however, has presented witnesses as well that debunk the claims of the prosecution. The defense’s witnesses have zeroed in the identification of real owners of the parcels of land listed by prosecution as still being owned by CJ Renato Corona.

As Senator-judge Ralph Recto pointed out, in Corona’s 1992 SALN (Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth), two years after the supposed sale happened, “the document listed the property as still owned by Corona.”

Indeed, the plot thickens.

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