Yap spearheads effort to combat forest fires

Benguet Cong. Eric Go Yap meets OCD-CAR regional director Albert Mogol, representatives from the Philippine Air Force and the Bureau of Fire and Protection to craft possible solutions in suppressing forest fires in the province aimed in bolster the capabilities of these agencies in tackling ongoing fires in Benguet. (Contributed Photo)

In the face of the ongoing forest fires ravaging Benguet, Congressman Eric Go Yap is taking proactive measures in aiding government agencies in their suppression efforts.

Yap during the weekend, donated 1000 kilos of iodized salt to the Benguet Fire Protection (BFP), bolstering their cloud seeding endeavors aimed at quelling the relentless flames.

“Another forest fire incident is happening sa Atok, that’s why we donated 1,000 kilos of iodized salt to be used for cloud seeding operations. Bumili agad tayo last night and this morning, nadala na agad sa Bureau of Fire. Hopefully, kaya na to produce enough rainfall sa mga malalakas pa na forest fires sa ngayon,” Yap said.

Yap also held meetings with the Office of the Civil Defense Cordillera and BFP to craft possible solutions in suppressing forest fires in the province.

The solon added the initiatives aim to bolster the capabilities of these agencies in tackling the escalating infernos.

“Yan yung isa sa mga napag-usapan namin with OCD and BFP the other day, they should let me know anong kailangan pa, anong mabilis na paraan. Gaya nitong salt, natatagalan daw sa procurement process kaya delayed din ang operations. At marami pang iba na nakita naman where I can help. We met with the concerned agencies with that purpose in mind, kung paano mas mapapabilis pa and maging mas efficient ang response, pero mas palalakasin siyempre yung preventive measures,” Yap added.

Yap also pledged to take legislative action to address the root causes of forest fires in Benguet and vowed to craft legislation imposing stiffer penalties on forest arsonists, recognizing the importance of deterrence in preventing future catastrophes.

Yap’s commitment to enact legislation underscores his determination to safeguard not only the environment but also the communities threatened by these devastating fires.

“We are currently on heightened alert since we were informed of another forest fire in Atok. We call our kakailyan to practice safety precautions and to coordinate with the authorities in preventing and in responding to the forest fires,”Yap quipped. ### (PR)