CEBU, Philippines — He did not usually sleep early on Friday nights but Kyle Ashley Barcoso, 12, did so last Friday.
He never woke up.
At past 8 p.m., a mere 15 minutes after he slept, a huge chunk of the tall wall of soil beside their rented house in Barangay San Jose, Cebu City gave in and pinned him to death.
His grandfather, Justino, 63, said not even a sound warned of an impending disaster.
“Diretso ra gyud og kahagba ang among atop… naay mura’g nipatid nako palayo maong wala ko nagrabehan… mura’g ang anghel gyud to ni Kyle aron mabuhi ko,” Justino said in between tears.
“Katong gabhiuna, sige pa to’g pangulit si Kyle sa akong kilid nga gatan-aw mi og tv. Dili man unta na siya sayo matug basta Biyernes pero nakatug siya kinse minutos paghigda niya, unya kinse minutos pod nahitabo nga natabunan na siya,” he added.
Even with his right leg injured, Justino said he tried to dig his grandson up.
“Sige ko ug kawt sa yuta maong nahikapan nako siya. Init pa man to paghikap nako maong nanawag ko’g tabang para mokawt ug mokuha niya,” he said.
Rescuers arrived at past 9 p.m. but it took them about an hour to retrieve Kyle’s body. They tried to resuscitate the boy to no avail.
Justino said he would have to speak with his wife about their house but if he were to decide, he would leave the area. They were only renting the house.
“Mag-istorya pa mi’s akong asawa kon unsaon ni namo ang balay. Kon ako lang, dili na ko mopuyo diri kay pirmi kong makahinumdom sa akong apo,” he said.
He said the barangay already promised to help his family for a possible relocation.
Guadalupe
Meanwhile, in Barangay Guadalupe, residents living along the banks of the Kinalumsan River do not plan of leaving Sitio Riverside even after the death of their three neighbors last Friday.
The three were swept away by raging waters after they fell into the river. Their bodies were found later in the day.
Charlotte Ledana, 30, head of the Kanaas Homeowner’s Association, said there are 32 of them living along the river and they have lived there for decades.
“Kahibaw mi nga dili mi pwede diri mopuyo pero wala miy laing kapadulngan. Diri rapod mi nagpuyo pila naka tuig,” she told The FREEMAN.
Ledana said they consider their neighbors’ death an isolated case.
Brothers Carlo John Taran, 8, and Juros Taran, 9; and Arthuro Cabradilla, 28, fell into the river when the footbridge they were standing on collapsed. Eight others also fell into the river but were rescued immediately.
Ledana said they were aware that the river could go that high during heavy rains. Last Friday, it rose up to four meters.
Guadalupe Barangay Captain Michael Gacasan said at least 10 houses located along the river are at risk, especially during heavy rain.
He said he will ask the city’s Prevention Restoration Order Beautification Enhancement (PROBE) team to demolish the houses constructed illegally near the river.
Councilor David Tumulak also said he will ask the city’s Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP) to look for a possible relocation site.
Evacuation centers
At the Capitol, officials are allocating P21 million for the construction of "calamity-resistant" evacuation centers to address the need to mitigate and reduce disaster risks in priority areas in the province.
This was disclosed by the Provincial Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) during the Provincial Development Council meeting last week. The PDC is chaired by Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III.
The proposed budget will be submitted to the Provincial Board for approval so it can be included in the province’s annual budget for 2018.
Baltazar Tribunalo, Jr., chief of PDRRMO, said the evacuation centers will be provided with sleeping quarters, comfort rooms, common kitchen, and wash rooms.
These will be set up in Dalaguete, Asturias, Medellin, Camp Lapu-Lapu, and in the islands of Camotes and Bantayan.
PDRRMO's proposed overall budget for next year is P181 million, which covers P85.412 million for disaster prevention and mitigation; P54.300 million for quick response; P38.887 million as preparedness fund; and P2.4 million as recovery and rehabilitation fund.
The P21 million for the evacuation centers is under the P85.412 million disaster and prevention mitigation fund, which will be used to set up early warning systems, establishment of multi-purpose evacuation centers, as well as insurance coverage for agriculture crops and stocks.
Tribunalo said that during those times the evacuation centers are not being used, these can be used as alternative venues for general assemblies and meetings.
Aside from constructing evacuation centers, the PDRRMO also plans of institutionalizing human resources in LGUs that will serve as emergency responders in times of disaster.
Tribunalo emphasized earlier that one disaster officer for an LGU is not enough to empower efforts in risk reduction management.
This year, PDRRMO has a budget of P166 million with efforts focused mostly in conducting drills and exercises in emergency response and hazard-mappings. — /JMO (FREEMAN)