29 dead, dozens still missing in Cebu landslide
THE death toll from the landslide in Naga, Cebu climbed up to 29 on Friday, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police.
The landslide triggered by heavy rains buried dozens of residents in several barangay (villages), initially leaving 12 dead and 64 others missing as of Thursday. The fatalities included a four-year-old of Friday.
Lt. Gen. Paul Atal, commander of the AFP’s Cebu- based Central Command, and Chief Insp. Roderick Gonzales, chief of the Naga City Police, both came up with the figure, which Atal said was culled from a report that they received on Friday afternoon.
Five from the latest tally were still unidentified as of press time, Gonzales said.
He added that eight persons had been recovered alive from the site.
Reports also on Friday swirled that local authorities were getting text messages purportedly from victims buried in the mud.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma on Friday said it is time to reexamine results of “development,” noting that the deadly landslide in Naga City in Cebu province on Thursday was an effect of Typhoon “Ompong.”
“We are aware of, you know, the effects of a typhoon, but on the other hand we are also aware of the danger caused by, of course, all of these landslides due to quarrying and logging and therefore it’s an opportunity for us to reexamine the consequences of the so- called ‘ development’ also caused by mining or quarrying for that matter,” Palma told the Churchrun Radyo Veritas.
Archbishop Palma said he was scheduled to pay a visit to victims of the landslide on Friday to talk to them and figure out how the archdiocese could assist them.
For now, according to the prelate, he could only empathize and offer prayers and encouragement.
Quarrying halted
Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu on Friday temporarily suspended all quarry operations in eight regions of the country, following the deadly landslide in Naga City.
Cimatu announced the suspension during a news conference in Naga City, Cebu, following the tragic incident.
Operations associated with extracting stones or construction materials from land will be stopped for 15 days, he said.
The regions covered by the suspension order are Ilocos, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol, Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao and Caraga.
“The suspension will be effective until such time that the review and assessment of quarry operations are completed, [ including] surrounding communities as far as their safety from the impact of the quarry operations and geohazards is concerned,” Cimatu said.
He also ordered a review and assessment of all quarry operations nationwide to determine the safety of their operations and of surrounding communities.
Earlier, Cimatu announced the creation of a team of technical personnel from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau ( MGB) and the Environmental Management Bureau ( EMB) “to conduct a thorough and independent investigation and check why [ the landslide] happened, how it happened, and what we should do.”
The environment chief also announced the relief of four officials of the MGB regional office in Cebu, namely, Director Loreto Alburo, Chief Administrative and Finance Officer Jerry Mahusay, chief geologist Al Emil Berador, and supervising geologist Dennis Aleta.
He also ordered the Environmental Management Bureau to suspend the Environmental Compliance Certificate of Apo Land and Quarry Corp.
The environment chief called for immediate evacuation of remaining residents in the area, proposing that they be relocated in an area at least a kilometer away from the danger zone.
He described the site as “volatile,” which meant there could be further soil slippage.
Earlier this week, Cimatu ordered a halt to all small- scale mining in the mountainous, gold- rich Cordillera Administrative Region following the dozens of landslides recorded in the region due to Typhoon “Ompong.”