Landslide survivors ask gov’t not to stop retrieval of buried loved ones
TIWI, Albay– The families who survived the landslide in Tiwi town, Albay,are appealing to authorities to continue the search for the missing.
BartolomeaClimacosaClavecillas, 63, told Manila Bulletin her sister MarcelinaCutaraClimacosa, niece Mary Rose Cutara, 15, and grandchild CJ Cutara, are still unaccounted for.
"Sana yung ating gobyerno, sana mayor, huwag po ninyong itigil yung rescue (search and retrieval operations) doonsanawawala naming kapamilya (We appeal to the government, the mayor not to stop retrieval operations of our missing family members)," Clavecillas said.
She made the appeal after being told by the team leader at the town’s evacuation center that search and retrieval operations have become too dangerous to continue and it would be impossible to locate the missing victims.
"Yung mga rescuers may dala silang K9, pero doon sa lugar na paniniwala namin ay nandoon yung mga kapamilya namin na natabunan, lumubog yung aso. Kaya sabi ng mga rescuers, aso nga lumubog, tao pa kaya? (The sniffing dogs rescuers were bringing in the retrieval operation sank in the place where our missing relatives are believed to be buried. That is why the rescuers said if the dog sank in that kind of mud how much more for people)", Clavecillas said.
"Aanhin namin yang mga relief goods nayan kung hindi namin makikita yung nawawala naming kapamilya. Sana mayor, sana sa gobyerno, wag nyonamang itigil ang rescue (What shall we do with the relief goods if our relatives are missing. We hope the mayor, the government will not stop the retrieval operations)," she added.
Annie Climacosa Clavecillas, 23, survived the landslide of Dec. 29, with her husband and youngest son, Leo. They were about to leave their place when they were pushed by mud and water towards the sea.
Leo reportedly swam towards the shore using as guide the light of the lightning that accompanied the storm. Somebody helped him to safety upon reaching the shore, Annie narrated.
Now staying at the Naga High School in Tiwi temporarily, Annie said they became complacent when the storm warning signal was lifted. She said they thought there was no more danger because no one from the local government told them to evacuate unlike previous times.
The only thing that made her leave her house were the text messages from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
Merilda Competente appealed to the government to give them a house because they have nowhere to stay.
Emergency shelter
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will be providing emergency shelter assistance to families whose houses were partially or totally damaged during the onslaught of tropical depression “Usman.”
Based on the latest report of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Bureau, there are 11,312 damaged houses in Southern Luzon, Bicol, and Eastern Visayas that will be assessed by DSWD in coordination with their respective local government units (LGUs).
The provision of emergency shelter assistance is part of the relief efforts of the government to help survivors to return to their normal lives, said DSWD spokesperson Glenda Relova.
“Once the weather condition improves, personnel from the DSWD will go to the affected areas to hold a comprehensive assessment and determine if the damaged houses are partially or totally damaged. This will be the basis for the amount of emergency shelter assistance (ESA) that the affected families will receive,” Relova explained.
Under the ESA, households with partially-damaged houses will receive 110,000, while those with totally-damaged houses will be given P30,000 cash assistance.
The Department is also continuously delivering food and non-food items to affected LGUs.
It also continues to conduct psychosocial interventions in evacuation centers, while processing of financial aid for medical and burial assistance is also ongoing in affected regions.
To date, assistance given by DSWD has reached 130,932,864.94. (With a report from Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz)