CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, January 15, 2009—The Church in this southern Philippine city located 775 kilometers southeast of Manila is presently trying to traverse successfully the “rapids of life.”
Comparing a Christian’s life with whitewater rafting this city is known for, Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma, S.J., D.D. said that what the city is experiencing at present is like “going through the rapids of life.”
He said that what is happening to the city all boils down to only two factors: natural and human.
“These are all parts of the rapids we are experiencing. These are emergency situations, and that some of these are natural and we have to work with that and some may also be man-made or human lack of cooperation which aggravates the situation,” he said in an interview.
Ledesma said that what is currently being experienced by “our brothers and sisters” who are victims of the massive flooding in the city and the province of Misamis Oriental is not theirs alone.
“As Christians, we are one with our brothers and sisters who are victims of the flood. We cannot just turn our backs on them. It is our responsibility and obligation to help them as we are all called to be our brother’s keeper,” he said.
Given this reality, the Church in Cagayan de Oro as a whole is now negotiating this “emergency situation” in the “rapids of life.”
Ledesma experienced his first whitewater rafting last December. He, along with all the workers of the Archdiocese relaxed and enjoyed whitewater rafting at the Cagayan de Oro River, which is now a major tourist attraction here.
Relating his adventure, he said that life is like whitewater rafting: “Sometimes we go through tranquil waters where we just swim and basked in wonder at God’s creation but there are also times when we must exert all our efforts and energy to negotiate the rapids and emerged from it safe and sound and a better person.”
The Cagayan de Oro River, also called Cagayan River, is one of the rivers draining the northern central part of the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. Its headwaters is found in the Kalatungan Mountain Range in the central part of the province of Bukidnon. It traverses the municipalites of Baungon and Libona in Bukidnon and empties into the Macajalar Bay in Cagayan de Oro City.
Originally called Kalambaguhan River because of the "Lambago" trees (Hibiscus tiliaceus, a member of the Malvaceae tree family that only thrives in low altitude areas like seashores, riverbanks and other areas reached by tidal streams) once found abundantly along the river banks, the Cagayan de Oro River also serves as the natural boundary between the province of Bukidnon and Lanao del Norte and between Bukidnon and Cagayan de Oro City. It also is the political boundary of the two congressional districts of the city. It drains an area 1,521 square kilometers long.
Famous for its rapids, which is actively being promoted as a major tourist attraction for whitewater rafting, the Cagayan de Oro River bursts its banks on January 3 causing flashfloods after continuous heavy downpour on the evening of January 2, displacing thousands.
On January 11, major tributaries of the river and other minor rivers in the city and Misamis Oriental province swelled and caused massive flooding all in low-lying areas of the city and 12 municipalities of Misamis Oriental due to continuous rains starting January 10 brought about by the tail-end of a cold front, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.
Before noon Tuesday, the Misamis Oriental Disaster Coordinating Council (MODCC) reported that flood victims numbered more than 30,000 individuals or 13,000 families.
“This is a chance for all of us to work together. But we also have to go back to the root cause of the flooding,” Ledesma said, adding that the rains are natural and we cannot do anything about it but we must address the contributory factors to the flood that are clearly man-made such as mining, logging and unwise or imprudent solid waste management.
“There is once again a renewed concern for environmental conservation, especially these flush mining that have silted the river of Iponan and also the logging upstream not only in the interior of Cagayan de Oro but also in Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur areas because eventually it is the upstream areas are the ones that protect the downstream areas,” he said.
“We should really make sure that the watershed areas are protected. The forest are really the natural cover to ensure that the water flow is not so destructive. It also protects the topsoil which is really the need for our agriculture. And now with our modern technology like satellite process, we can pinpoint the areas where there is this need for environmental protection,” the archbishop added.
Ledesma also recommended that low-lying areas in the city, especially those on the banks of the river should be restricted to human habitation and that good waste management practices be promoted to de-clogged the city’s drainage system and ensure uninterrupted water flow. (Bong D. Fabe)
