LANDSLIDE...

what to do next.

Nita is left with the care of Jessa Mae and wonders where to get the resources for the toddler’s needs. “Sa gatas pa lang pati sa diaper, lisod na daan” (Considering the expenses for the milk and diaper, it won’t be easy), she says, at times wiping her moist eyes with a face towel.

Baybay said the family has been spending at least P2,000 per day since the Feb. 6 tragedy for the daily upkeep. There are documents to process, transportation expenses, and other things to worry about for the coming days.

The clan is still reeling from the shock of the tragedy. The Sereño household was at the Purok 1 Masara Mini-Gym as they were evacuated as early as Feb. 4 due to the low-pressure area that affected Mindanao.

The Mini Gym was wiped out by the landslide, too. Ramil Raganet and Ronald Lorica Sr., brothers-inlaw, worked for the Maria-Socio General Services Inc. (MSGSI), a manpower service contracted by Apex Mining to provide manpower and the same company that owns the buses that ferried Apex workers.

The two are among the 68 confirmed dead, 32 injured, and 51 missing announced by the Department of Interior and Local Government–Management of the Dead and the Missing (DILG-MDM) the same afternoon of Nita’s visit.

With the names of the confirmed dead withheld by officials, it was not immediately clear whether Ramil and Ronald Sr. were listed under Dead or Missing, their bodies the only sign of closure for the rest of the Raganets.

On Monday, Lea Añora, Local Government Operations Officer (LGOO) of DILG-MDM, stated that out of the deceased, 26 were Apex employees, while 42 were residents of Zone 1 in the said barangay. Five bodies have yet to be identified.

From the missing individuals, 24 of them are local residents, 19 of them were employees of MSGSI, and 8 were Apex Mining employees.

“Wala mi kabalo unsay buhaton” (We don’t know what to do), Nita tells MindaNews as she awaits personnel from the MDM. “Dako kaayog gastohonon, unya wala baya mi trabaho sa akong bana” (There are a lot of expenses looming, and me and my husband don’t have jobs).

“Gusto na namo sila makita. Kinahanglan na namo sila ilubong (We want to see their bodies. We need to bury them),” Baybay said.

Kier Quindao, a volunteer social worker who serves as camp manager at the Lorenzo Sarmiento Evacuation Center, said that most of the residents of Purok 1 in Masara are fearful and no longer want to come back home.