DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 19 February) – A two-hectare land near the Immaculate Conception Quasi-Parish in Barangay Elizalde, Maco in Davao de Oro that is being eyed as a temporary shelter for landslide victims from the town’s barangays Masara and Mainit has yet to be fully assessed by geologists from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau – Davao Region (MGB-Davao).
MGB-Davao supervising geologist Capter John Tubo said at the sidelines of Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao here that as of Monday, they have not yet fully ascertained the safety and stability of the relocation site.
“Honestly, I was not able to [see] the specific area, I have no idea [on the safety of the area],” Tubo said, adding they will provide the media a report once the full assessment is done.
But Tubo admitted that some parts of Barangay Elizalde are prone to landslides or to tension cracks. Tension cracks are deep and moving cracks in the ground occurring at the top or along a slope of the land.
Maco Mayor Arthur Voltaire Rimando earlier proposed the land near the Immaculate Conception Quasi-Parish as a relocation site.
The February 6 landslide in Barangay Masara left at least 98 persons dead as of the February 18 data from Maco’s Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO). The landslide happened early evening as heavy rains poured in the area.
Joel Penido, head of the disaster response cluster, said Saturday that a “tent city” would be built for the displaced families so as not to hinder classes in schools used as evacuation centers.
The tents were mostly donated by the Provincial Government of Davao de Oro and the Philippine Red Cross.
Based on Section 5 of Republic Act No. 10821, also known as the Children’s Emergency Relief and Protection Act, usage of the school premises as evacuation centers “shall be as brief as possible,” and should “not exceed for 15 days.”
Most of the evacuees have sought shelter in neighboring Mawab town, particularly at the Andili National High School, Bawani Elementary School, Nuevo Iloco Elementary School, Nuevo Iloco National High School, and Nueva Visayas Elementary School.
During MindaNews’ visits to the evacuation sites, some students hold classes at the gymnasium or in selected classrooms.
For the displaced residents of barangays Elizalde and Tagbaros, Penido said they are still waiting for the decision of the local government, the incident command post, and the technical working group if they can go back to their residences.
On Sunday evening, Maco’s MDRRMO lifted the suspension of classes in schools close to ground zero, namely the Masara Integrated School, Masara Christian School, Tagbaros Elementary School (ES), Panoraon ES, New Leyte ES and National High School (NHS), Teresa ES and NHS, Gubatan ES, Elizalde ES and NHS, Liboac ES, and Panangan ES.
The learning modalities will be “subject to the discretion of their respective school district supervisors, according to the agency.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) listed 580 families evacuated from Masara and 202 families from Mainit as of February 12.
MindaNews sought updated data from the Office of the Civil Defense – Davao Region (OCD-Davao) Monday morning, but it could not provide the latest figure as they are still finalizing it.
Tubo emphasized that MGB-Davao had declared Barangay Masara a “no build zone” since September 2008.
However, he added that an ordinance must be approved by the local government unit to implement their recommendation, which was not done.
The MBG-Davao declared Barangay Masara as a critical area and a “no build zone” after a landslide incident in 2008.
MGB-Davao also identified Barangay Mainit as a landslide-prone area, thus the recommendation for the relocation of its residents, said Allan Mark Abanilla, a geologist from the agency.
When asked for recommendations where the Masara and Mainit evacuees will be potentially transferred, Tubo said they had determined certain locations together with their central office but “further assessments” will still be needed. He did not identify these locations.
Davao de Oro Governor Dorothy Gonzaga said on February 10 that residents have been living in Barangay Masara even before she became the governor in 2016.
However, when she was asked why people were allowed to reside in Masara despite MGB’s recommendation way back in 2008, Gonzaga declined to comment. (Ian Carl Espinosa/MindaNews)
