Sinkhole found in Dalaguete

CEBU, Philippines - After last week’s reports of a sinkhole in Dumanjug town, another one was also found in Sitio Carpo, Barangay Casay, Dalaguete town.

The sinkhole in the said barangay was reported to the police station around 7:35 a.m. through a telephone call.

Inspector Dexter Basirgo, Dalaguete police chief, told The FREEMAN nobody immediately noticed the sinkhole because it was in a secluded area of the said barangay.

Basirgo said the hole was estimated as “two to 15 feet deep and about 20 to 25 meters” in circumference.

The police have cordoned off the area and provided safety signage.

Even if there were 15 feet coconut trees and seven feet banana trees around the hole, Basirgo said it is not as dangerous as the sinkhole in Dumanjug because it is not moving.

The site is accessible from the highway but is still quite remote, the police chief said.

The sinkhole in Barangay Camboang, Dumanjug emerged after an explosion beneath the soil of a farm lot last February 18. It is 20 to 25 meters wide and around 15 meters deep.

Water coming from beneath is reportedly causing the movement of the soil.

Dalaguete Mayor Ronald Allan Cesante said the hole was not alarming and not as big as the sinkhole in Dumanjug.

“Manageable ra and we are able to solve it, the barangay officials are also monitoring it,” Cesante said.

Meanwhile in Barangay Anao, Ginatilan town, a portion of a hill collapsed and about 50-meter crack in the ground was found.

Ginatilan police chief Insp. Christopher Castro said the change of the soil cannot be considered dangerous since it was far from the residential area.

Castro said they were just informed by the residents early morning yesterday about the crack and they went to verify it.

He said over a phone interview that the cracks did not appear to be continuous but many small cracks.

Ginatilan Vice Mayor Dean Michael Singco also told The FREEMAN they will be requesting for the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to check the area.

The Municipal Disaster and Risk Reduction Coordinating Council and the Municipal Engineering Office also visited the area.

The barangay officials are now securing the area.

The officials of both town suspect that the cracks and the sinkhole formed after the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Cebu province and nearby islands last February 6.

Meanwhile, Mines and Geo-sciences Burea-7 Chief geologist Al Emil Berador said sinkholes are but natural especially in Cebu which is mostly made of limestone.

“Natural ra man ‘na kay daghan mang sinkholes sa Cebu. Na-emphasize lang na karon kay naa’y active development sa Dumanjug,” Berador said yesterday, adding that sinkholes were already found in Cebu in previous years.

He also said he has yet to receive a report about the disturbances in Ginatilan and Dalaguete.

He added that they cannot immediately dispatch a team of geologists to these areas considering that there are only four geologists under MGB-7 and they are still responding to previous requests.

Berador further said for now they can only look at the area and assess the extent of the sinkholes’ cavities because they lack ground-penetrating radar.

Dumanjug Mayor Nelson Garcia earlier said the MGB should bring the equipment to Cebu so the area can be assessed thoroughly.

Considering that Cebu is made mostly of limestone, the mayor added that the city and provincial government should purchase the equipment.

Berador said limestone areas are also found in Cebu City particularly in Sitio Nasipit, Barangay Talamban, Barangay Labangon, and Barangay Bulacao, among others. — (FREEMAN)