RELOCATION EFFORTS

Permanent, safer location for Barangay Masara landslide victims

MACO, DAVAO DE ORO – Despite the devastating impact of the Masara landslide on the night of February 6 this year, the jurisdiction of Masara will not be obliterated.

Instead, the affected area is slated for relocation to a permanent, safer location within the jurisdiction of Barangay Masara, municipality of Maco, Davao de Oro, pending approval by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau Davao Region (MGB-Davao).

This clarification aims to address various questions and concerns regarding the current status of the barangay.

Lea Añora, head of the Management of the Dead and Missing (MDM) Cluster at the Department of the Interior and Local Government - Davao de Oro (DILG-Davao de Oro), during the Masara press briefing, Thursday afternoon, February 15, said, “Hindi po mai-erase ang Masara kase a barangay without a community is hindi matatawag na barangay. The punong barangay of Masara is looking for a relocation site that will be inspected by the MGB (Masara cannot be erased because a barangay without a community cannot be called a barangay. The Masara barangay chairperson is looking for a relocation site that will be inspected by the MGB).”

She also said that in addition to the Provincial Local Government Unit of Davao de Oro (PLGU-Davao de Oro) and other responsible government agencies at the municipal and provincial levels, Apex Mining Co. Inc. has committed to assisting in finding a suitable location for the displaced families of Masara.

“In fact, ngayon palang nagsimula na sila mag-appoint ng mga safe locations para matulungan at makabalik na ang mga displaced families (In fact, they have just begun appointing safe locations to assist and facilitate the return of the displaced families),” the official said.

According to the initial casualty tally provided by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office-Maco (MDRRMO-Maco), casualties have reached 90, with approximately 37 individuals reported as missing at the Incident Command Post (ICP).

On Wednesday, February 14, the local government unit (LGU) of Maco transitioned from search and rescue operations to search and retrieval operations under Executive Order (EO) 15 signed by Municipal Mayor Ferdinand Dobli. The decision was based on recommendations from MGB-Davao, as soil movement in the ground zero area had been detected since the start of the search operations.

Hindi po mai-erase ang Masara kase a barangay without a community is hindi matatawag na barangay. The punong barangay of Masara is looking for a relocation site that will be inspected by the MGB.

LEA AñORA head of the DILG-Davao de Oro Management of the Dead and Missing (MDM) Cluster