Massive landslide in Naga: 18 dead, 57 missing

CEBU, Philippines — Christita Villarba, 49, woke up to the shaking of the ground that was quickly followed by a rumbling noise – like that from a thunder.

Before she knew it, a huge cloud of dust had enveloped their vicinity.

What she heard after were the shrieks of her neighbors that echoed from all directions.

When the sun shone and the dust settled, at least two small sitios on the slope of a limestone hill in Barangays Tinaan and Naalad in the City of Naga were already covered in soil.

As of 9:30 p.m., at least 18 people were confirmed dead and dozens more trapped in their homes that had been engulfed by the landslide, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

The confirmed fatalities were Bethel Faith Echavez, 4; Olivia Menesis Moral, 63; Anabel Lobiano, 40; and Romeo Javanillo, 50; Mark Laurence Campanilla, 3; Michael Versales, 16; and Vianca Versales, 19; Laura Capoy, 52; and Sheila Mae Campanilla.

Others have yet to be identified.

At least 15 more people were also reported to have suffered injuries and were rushed to hospitals in Talisay City and Cebu City, including Rose Ann Lobiano, 40; Christopher Cemelier, 44; and Nestor Capoy; 52.

As of this writing, 57 residents were still missing.

They were believed to have been buried alive inside 26 houses that were either directly or partially affected by the movement. PDRRMO data showed that 14 houses were directly overwhelmed, with soil covering them up to eight feet deep.

Some locals were still able to send cries for help to their relatives even as they were stuck under the rubble.

“Malooy tawon mo. Ni-message si Jenisa. Paluwas sila sa iyang mga anak tua sa ilawom, malooy mo. Dili na kuno kaya,” read the frantic post of Maryclaire Panilag on the social media yesterday, just hours after news about the tragedy broke out.

As for Villarba, she was quick to scamper to safety when she saw the soil flowing down from the hilltop.

But there was no reason to celebrate. At least 10 of her relatives, including her sister, her sister’s family, and children, remained under the debris.

“Swerte mi kay duha nalang ka balay maabtan na unta ang among gipuy-an (We were lucky we were two houses away from the sliding soil),” she told The FREEMAN.

Another resident, Analyn Pansoy, said she and her family ran from the slide after hearing the neighbors’ yell.

Her mother, who lived in another house, was not as lucky. She has yet to be found, along with her nieces and nephews.

Paz Capoy, 49, was preparing her family’s breakfast that time. What was supposed to be a happy meal ended up in agony as all three of her children were buried alive in their house.

“Wala na gyud koy nabuhat. Akong mga anak natulog pa,” Capoy recounted in between tears.

PDRRMO spokesperson Jules Regner said the sitios of Sindulan and Tagaytay sit near a landslide-prone area. But the local disaster office had initially warned residents there to evacuate to safer grounds, especially during heavy rain such as last Wednesday night, he added.

State of Calamity

The City Council of Naga declared Tinaan and four other neighboring villages of Mainit, Naalad, Pangdan, and Cabungahan under a state of calamity yesterday.

This means that the barangays can use their respective disaster funds to help address the needs of affected residents.

But Tinaan barangay captain Teodoro Cantal Jr. admitted this early that his barangay does not have sufficient funds to cover for the expenses of the victims, so he was hoping the higher LGUs would intervene.

Mayor Kristine Chiong said the city government will shoulder all expenses – from rescue to hospitalization of survivors and from retrieval to burial of the bodies.

Chiong asked for prayers for all those who perished, got injured, and those who volunteered for the rescue and retrieval operations.

She said the landslide-stricken area was used as a housing site for employees of APO Land and Quarry Corporation and that the city government was not remiss in reminding the residents on the danger of living there.  City Councilor Carmelino Jonjie Cruz, in-charge of City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), said the slide hit three barangays but Tagaytay and Sindulan, which are part of Tinaan, were the worst hit. These areas are adjacent to a quarry site allegedly operated by Apo Land.

The two sitios have an estimated total area of three hectares with 20 households more or less.

Cantal said a movement of the soil earlier prompted them to advise residents to look for another place live in.

“Naay nanghawa pero naa gyud mga gahi og ulo. Katong nagpabilin mao gyud to ang natabunan sa yuta. Ang Sitio Sindulan wala ra gyud nalakip nga delikado pero naapil,” he said.

Chiong said she has issued a cease and desist order against APO’s operation after learning of the soil movement.  As far as she knows, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) issued a clearance for the quarry operations.  Asked on who was to blame for the tragedy, the mayor responded that her concern for now was the rescue and retrieval efforts, though she added: “Wala mi magkuwang sa pahimangno.”

Cebu First District Representative Gerald Anthony Gullas said among the dire needs now are food packs for the victims and all the volunteers who came to help.

“Aside from that, the evacuation center is located in the ECAC or the Enan Chiong Activity Center. You may course all your donations such as clothes, water, canned goods and anything you believe can help the victims of this tragedy through ECAC,” he said in a statement.

Gullas also called on those living in Cebu City, Mandaue City or from the province who want to send their donations and do not want to go to Naga to drop their donations either at the president’s office of the University of the Visayas Main Campus or at the Talisay City command center.

Governor Hilario Davide, for his part, also visited the landslide-stricken barangay with the promise to provide basic necessities like food and water to evacuees. Financial help may follow if needed, he said.

Davide said he will coordinate first with Chiong on the needs of the victims.

Four evacuation centers have been established: Enan Chiong Activity Center, APO Cemex covered court, Naalad Elementary School covered court, and Cepoc Elementary School in Tinaan.

At Tinaan basketball court, 1,211 individuals took shelter as of 4 p.m. yesterday. About half of that number were children and teens aged 1 to 17 years old.

The latest tally showed some 315 families were housed in evacuation facilities.

Rescue Efforts

Distress calls from Naga reverberated throughout Cebu yesterday, and many volunteer groups and government agencies ably responded to the calls with rescue teams as far as Medellin and Danao City in northern Cebu rushing to the scene.

At 6 p.m. yesterday, the city government of Naga announced that search, rescue and retrieval operations are ongoing 24/7, thanks to uniformed personnel headed by Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Office of the Civil Defense, City of Naga Disaster Risk Reduction  and Management Office (CNDRRMO), Philippine Army and Navy, and Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).

The Visayan Electric Company also decided to de-energize secondary lines in the area affected by the landslide and deployed its emergency crew in the area to assist residents and the local government on any electrical need that may arise.

Senior Supt. Samuel Tadeo, Bureau of Fire Protection-7 director and operations section head of Incident Command Post, explained that among their challenges were the presence of huge boulders on the site that blocked passage of equipment.  He added that the affected area was very wide and the ground still moving. The inclement weather did not also make things any better.

But after the safety of rescuers was ensured, all teams were divided into four groups with a designated area to excavate.

In one spot, the search and rescue unit of the BFP-7 had a hard time getting into a small opening to fish out four people, two of whom did not make it out alive.

Fire Officer 1 Jacob Cañada said he had to fit himself into the small hole when his team saw that the two members were still very responsive.

The search and rescue were suspended at 4:30 p.m. yesterday due to the high risk that the site may further collapse. The gravity and the weight of both responders and equipment hastened the compacting movement of the eroded soil, the PDRRMO advised.

The operations resumed around 5:20 p.m. and would go round-the-clock onwards.

“Walang magpapahinga natin ngayon. Pero make sure nga we are safe,” Tadeo told rescuers. — with Gabriel C. Bonjoc and Lorraine Mitzi A. Ambrad/JMD (FREEMAN)