John Rick Belen. DRRM.

B. 1. In a rappler's post, it is said that landslides are not uncommon in the Philippines. In mountainous
areas, heavy rainfall have often triggered landslides in the past. Effects of volcanic activity, typhoon, and
heavy rainfall cause some major landslides in the country in the last two decades that loosened the soil
in landslide-prone areas. On August 3, 1999, heavy rain induced by Typhoon Ising (Olga) spelled disaster
for residents of Cherry Hills Subdivision in Antipolo City, when the ground beneath them broke apart
and slid down the mountain went down along with the landslide, while those living down the slope were
buried in mud and concrete. A total of 60 people died. in addition, University of the Philippines
geologists who looked into the disaster argued that while heavy rains may have set off the landslide,
certain geological traits of the area where the subdivision stood made it vulnerable. Structural
interventions could have averted the disaster, but that would have made the cost of the project
prohibitive for the low-income sector. Apparently, a low pressure area brought nonstop rain to Panaon
Island at the tip of Southern Leyte on December 19, 2003. That evening, loose soil, boulders, and debris
rolled down towards houses in Barangay Pinut-an in San Ricardo town, and in Sitio Lutao (Barangay
Poblacion) and Barangay Punta in Liloan town. Authorities reported 154 people dead in Panaon Island
due to the landslides. On the other hand, Typhoon Reming (Durian) drenched the Bicol Region on
November 30, 2006, after the storm made landfall there. The rains triggered the movement of volcanic
ash on the slopes of the Mayon Volcano resulting mudslide or lahar rushed down the villages located on
the foot of the Mayon, killing over 1,200 residents, many of whom were missing or presumed dead.
Nevertheless, days after Tropical Storm Ondoy (Ketsana) left the country, Typhoon Pepeng (Parma)
battered the mountainous Cordillera region with intense rain, causing multiple landslides in the region in
early October 2009. At least 120 people died in Benguet province, 25 in Baguio City, and 23 in Mountain
Province, according to authorities.

2. Based from the given situations and instances, series of landslides have brought significant effects not
only to socio-economic but also to environmental aspect of the country. Landslides affect the economy
of the Philippines as government needs to enact solution in order to relocate the houses of numerous
affected people leaving the danger and risk of their community. Basically, it also renders effect to
environment as it change the form of the land and take the animals out of their habitats.