Sirao placed under “state of calamity”

The Cebu City Council has placed Barangay Sirao under a “state of calamity” due to the continuous mass movement which poses danger to lives of the residents.

"At present, Barangay Sirao is continuously experiencing mass movement whenever heavy rainfall occurs compared to the rest of the mountain barangays," the approved resolution reads.

Councilor Margarita "Margot" Osmeña sponsored the resolution.

In their August-29 session, the members of the city council approved the resolution after the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office recommended to place Barangay Sirao in a state of calamity.

At present, the Department of Social Welfare and Services recorded at least 121 affected families of the said barangay from the month of January to August.

It was last January 17 that the barangay experienced their first landslide this year which damaged the road from Sirao to Pulangbato.

Since then, the land reportedly continuously moves if there is heavy rainfall, affecting the houses of the residents, farms and even the barangay gymnasium.

In fact, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB)-7 earlier identified Sirao as among the landslide prone areas in the city.

With the recommendation of MGB-7, the Department for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP) is now identifying cityowned lot for the construction of permanent shelter for the affected families.

The DWUP has identified a city property in Barangay Guba, in which majority of the affected residents already agreed to be relocated during the earlier consultation.

The affected individuals take temporary shelter at the houses of their respective friends and family in the neighboring barangays.

Meanwhile, the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) recommends for the demolition of the stage of Sirao's gymnasium after this was covered with soil due to the mass movement.

Other recommendations includes partial demolition of the gymnasium, while the barangay hall will be placed under scientific observation and the entire area will be cordoned with warning signs that prohibits the entry to any unauthorized person in order to prevent accidents from happening.

This recommendation was drafted after DEPW inspected the area noticing that these structures reveal unstable condition. DEPW Acting City Engineer Nilo Igot signed the recommendation.