Manipis rockslide kills woman, injures 3

CEBU, Philippines – A 44-year-old woman died, her husband, nephew and grandson injured, when rocks rained on them on Talisay-Toledo Wharf Access Road in the landslide and rockslide prone area of Barangay Manipis, Talisay City yesterday dawn.

Mila Dablo was pronounced dead upon arriving at Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center while her husband Eric Dablo, 45, six-year-old nephew Resliv Tayo and unidentified one-year-old grandson sustained injuries.

The three were onboard a motorcycle on their way to northern Cebu from Barangay Sinsin, Cebu City around 4:30 in the morning.

Police said Eric stopped somewhere in Sitio Udlom upon sensing that rock fragments were falling from above. But moments later, rocks rolled down to where they were posted.

Mila's nephew and grandson escaped death because she had shielded them from the falling rocks while her husband managed to run away from the rockslide. Locals helped rush the four victims to the hospital.

City Councilor Danilo Caballero, chairman of the Committee on Public Safety, told The FREEMAN that Barangay Manipis is really prone to landslides and rockslides. Manipis is a hilly village about eight kilometers from the national highway in Talisay City.

If he had it his way, Caballero said he would recommend the temporary closure of the access road to vehicular traffic while landslides continue to threaten the area.

Caballero, however, admitted that closing the area will also affect residents and motorists who use the area to travel back and forth to cities of Talisay, Toledo and Cebu through Barangay Sinsin.

City disaster officer head Vince Monterde said the heavy rain last week could have loosened soil and rocks in the area. Monterde also attributed the slide to the ongoing road widening project, which remains unfinished until now.

The Department of Public Works and Highway-7 awarded the P56.8 million roadwork project to QM Builders but disaster mitigation measures, such as building slope stabilization structures, have been stopped since there are residents who have refused to leave the area, Monterde said.

Dr. Eddie Llamedo, spokesperson of Department of Environment and Natural Resources-7, is asking DPWH to direct its contractor in the area to provide benching or other measures to prevent landslides and other untoward incidents.