The Environmental department has declared a sharp drop in lumber yards, or wood-processing plants, operating in the Davao Region, as it also announced it has planted 16.5 million seedlings in denuded areas.
The state weather bureau PAG-ASA warned that the dry spell episode will likely to be felt in June, bringing drier conditions and decreased rainfall in the country.
Raising awareness, action and accountability of government on disaster response were stressed in a summit on climate change attended by some 100 journalists all over Mindanao.
A so-called sheet flooding Wednesday morning surprised commuters and residents here after an inland waterway of a banana plantation overflowed due to heavy downpour this week.
The Talaingod Manobos highlighted an Earth Day protest rally here where they slammed government agencies for allowing the entry of five mining companies into their homeland in Davao del Norte.