LGUs urged to move residents in landslide-prone areas

The Office of the Civil Defense in Region 6 (OCD-6) called on local government units (LGUs) to relocate their residents who are living in landslide-prone areas to a safer place.

Jose Roberto Nuñez, OCD regional director for Western Visayas said his office is willing to help LGUs in seeking help from the national government to facilitate the relocation.

“We are very prone to landslide because we have soft soil as per MGB (Mines and Geosciences Bureau),” Nuñez said.

While the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) is still collating the report on the effects of Typhoon Rolly, data on Typhoon Quinta damage as of Monday evening showed four incidents of landslide and erosion in Aklan; 13 incidents in Antique; and 10 in Iloilo.

In Barangay Tugaslon going to Barangay Tarug in Alimodian Iloilo, a debris flow and slump affected six households; with one house totally damaged.

In Barangay Bagay, Igbaras, the soil erosion partially affected eight houses.

Meanwhile, the MGB has advised the affected population of Barangay Poblacion Ilawod in Lambunao town to vacate the area that was assessed to be prone to landslide.

Nuñez will visit the municipality of Maasin, Iloilo on Wednesday (Nov. 4), to look into the effect of landslide on infrastructure initially estimated at PHP7.5 million.

In a report submitted to his office, the landslide early warning sensor installed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has recorded a movement within the 20 hectares of land in Barangay Inabasan. The area, with seven houses within its perimeter, was identified by the MGB as landslide-prone, as early as 2011.

A portion of the concrete road at Barangay Cananghan was eroded, making it impassable to heavy equipment and vehicles.

32 houses were directly affected while 50 houses are at risk following the breakage of the approximately 500 meters of land in Barangay Dagami.

Land breakage was also recorded in Barangay Tubang affecting its concreted road that connects 12 villages of the town.

Nuñez hoped that LGUs will do something for their residents that were affected by the hazards.

He said that it would be difficult if they will just react when something has already happened.

He added that the national government has a relocation program but some residents earlier refused to leave.

He said livelihood is one of their considerations while others reasoned that they already grew old in the area.

“Do we have to wait that somebody has to die?” he added.

The regional director said that LGUs can request to the National Housing Authority (NHA) if they already have a relocation site. The OCD, he said, will find ways to assist them.

“Let us meet halfway,” he added.

To address their concern, he said the provincial disaster risk reduction and management council (PDRRMC) and the OCD will meet with LGUs concerned. (PNA)