40 families evacuated over ground cracks

DAVAO CITY – Forty families residing in Shrine Hills, Matina here will be evacuated on Friday after large ground cracks were discovered on the upper portion of the hill.

Rodrigo Bustillo, operations and warning officer of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC), said ground cracks may suggest an impending landslide.

He said an “accelerated and controlled soil erosion” intervention must be undertaken to remove the huge boulders.

He said the displaced families will be transferred to the city government-owned evacuation facility in Los Amigos Relocation Site in Tugbok District.

He said they are assessing whether the site is safe or must be declared “totally no habitation.”

He said the R20 million evacuation facility can accommodate up to 1,000 individuals. It was built by the city government to serve as a temporary shelter for victims of disaster.

He said they believe the cracks were triggered by the ongoing road construction being conducted by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) along the Diversion Road.

Last September 29, the city government also told the owner of a nearby surplus vehicles shop to stop excavation activities on the slope walls of the site identified as a “highly dangerous zone”.

The CDRRMC informed the City Engineer’s Office and the Department of Public Works and Highways of the situation and recommended immediate installation of early warning signage along the highway for motorists and residents in the danger zone.

It also requested the City Engineers’ Office (CEO) to issue “No Habitation Notice” to a religious group constructing a building on the hill.