Jim Sampulna, Central Mindanao executive director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), ordered the immediate evacuation of at least 100 families in Sitio Upper Pagang in Barangay Baliton after receiving the results of the geological survey of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) on the presence of ground cracks in the area.
According to the MGB, the ground cracks have extended up to three kilometers with a mass movement rate of two meters per week during heavy rainfall, affecting more than 50 hectares of agricultural lands.
"Cracks in the ground have been observed to continue to deepen. It is alarming. The people there should leave the area immediately to prevent loss of lives similar to that of Guinsaugon in Southern Leyte," Sampulna told The STAR.
He said MGB geologists told him that a disaster could happen anytime in the area, thus the residents have no choice but to relocate to a safer place.
Sampulna ordered engineer Efren Carido, officer-in-charge of MGB-Central Mindanao, to survey other places facing risks of landslides and flash floods, especially now that the region is experiencing heavy rainfall.