Barangays urged to bar settlers from landslide-prone areas

The City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) and the City Engineer’s Office (CEO) have identified more areas in danger of mass wasting, and urged barangay officials to prevent would-be inhabitants from settling in these places.

CDRRMO Head Aflredo Baloran said barangay functionaries in landslide-prone areas, particularly in Buhangin, Tigatto, and Shrine Hills, were already given directive to prevent more settlers to reside in danger zones.

“Reminding all barangay officials na kung pwede dili na nila padungagan pa ug residents aning naa sa mga hazard areas nato kay ang city nagapaningkamot man gyud og pangita og lugar na kabutangan nato aning atong mga kaigsooonan na affected og na-identify nato na wala na gyud dapat magpuyo, wala na gyud dapat kapuy-an (Reminding all barangay officials if possible to prevent people from settling in these hazard areas because the city is doing its best to look for suitable residences for our citizens, and we also determined that no one should be residing in these areas anymore),” Baluran said in an interview with the media on Monday.

Last week, a total of 24 families in San Vicente Village, Talomo were evacuated after a landslide hit the area. Baloran said these families are still prohibited from returning to the site.

“Nakita man gud sa atoang assessment team during their assessment na naa pay mga impending na landslides. Naay mga cracks man gud dito sa ibabaw na dapit so kadto siya sa nakita nato naa pay nagahulog na boulders. That’s why gi-recommend namo na dili gyud sya pwede balikan (We found out from our assessment team that there are still impending landslides. There are cracks in the upper areas where we can still see boulders falling. That’s why we recommended to prohibit residents from returning),” he said.

Baloran added that affected families who wish to return may only be allowed to do so once complete engineering measures to secure the area from further mass wasting is accomplished.

Meanwhile, City Engineer’s Office Head Atty. Joseph Dominic Felizarta said more danger zones in the city have sprung from new roads and infrastructure projects which prompted the CEO to coordinate with the Department of Public Work and Highways (DPWH) in mitigating risks in these areas.

“Because nagkadaghan ang kalsada na bakilid, nagkadaghan pud ang landslide. In fact, ang among mga equipment usahay halos mahurot na didto sa landslide-prone area og dili na diri sa pang-maintenance diri sa mga kalsada (Because there now more roads by the cliffside, there are higher risks of landslides. In fact, our equipment are now almost exclusively used in landslide-prone areas instead of road maintenance),” he said.

Felizarta added that landslide-hit area in San Vicente Village remains a “No Habitation” zone and that clearing operations is currently on hold as the office awaits the ground to stabilize. CIO