REMEMBERING SENDONG. Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Rolando Uy (left) leads the commemoration of the 11th year of the devastation caused by Severe Tropical Storm Sendong on Friday (Dec. 16, 2022). Local government employees and officials of various homeowners' associations also joined in the wreath-laying ceremony at the Sendong Memorial Wall in Gaston Park. (Photo by Rod Constantino/CIO).
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The city government has moved to enhance the Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP) for integration into the city’s climate disaster risk management.
During the 11th-year commemoration of Severe Tropical Storm Sendong (Washi) on Friday, Mayor Rolando Uy reaffirmed the commitment of the city government to make the area resilient to natural disasters, especially with the onset of climate change impacts.
"We should not forget the pain and destruction Sendong brought us. We need to continue and strive on how our people safe from disasters," he said.
Uy said building a resilient city is a "very difficult challenge" as it includes rehabilitating forests outside its boundaries.
He said the city government's LCCAP will also be aligned with climate change protocols, even as he vowed to "cooperate and contribute to the 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 Kagay-anons (residents) and contribute more to national efforts at climate change adaptation and mitigation,” he said.
Remembering the tragedy brought by Sendong here, Uy said the lives lost in the storm can only be honored if the local government maintains a clear-cut plan with the help of different sectors in the community.
In mid-December of 2011, Sendong poured heavy rains for two days in the city's vast watersheds, which stretches up to the slopes of Mount Kitanglad and Kalatungan in Bukidnon province.
The flash floods left at least 674 people dead and displaced some 230,000 residents, and damaging over PHP2 billion in properties. (PNA)
