Clearing the Road between Talakag and CDO after Sendong

It  has been 3 months since Sendong struck Cagayan de Oro, Iligan and Bukidnon and left devastation along its path. Our very own Talakag got cut-off from CDO due to several landslides. I counted 8 landslides in total between this stretch of road.  Lorries carrying agricultural products got stuck.  Jeepneys and vans carrying passengers couldn't get through.  People, who found it necessary to travel, had to walk in knee-deep mud for half a kilometer in some areas just to get over the other side.    It took 10 days to make the roads barely passable again for vehicles.

As I passed the road from Talakag to CDO today, the clearing operation of the landslides is still ongoing.  See photos below:

Heavy Machines at Work

Landslides between Ugiaban Bridge and Tigahon Areas

 Landslides between San Isidro and Balaon Areas

Yet last week, another landslide occurred in roughly the same areas.  It wasn’t even raining!  I didn’t realise that if the soil is too dry, the ground breaks and can result in landslides too.  What’s happening here is that the clearing operation only concentrated on scraping and pushing the mud aside.  What’s left of the eroded area (or the drop) is still unattended.  Unless these areas are planted with grass, shrubs and trees immediately, the threat of more landslides will always be there.  I hope this will be addressed very soon before the rainy season comes, otherwise there will be no roots to hold the soil together.

The big question is “whose responsibility is it to replant the eroded areas?”  The owners (if it's a private property)?  Any government agency (as its their duty to implement preventative measures)?  Or any volunteer eco-warriors (just because they care)?