The municipal government of Moises Padilla is starting to secure residents of Sitio Manaol in Brgy. Quintin Remo, following the discovery of cracks in the ground that may cause a landslide.
Moises Padilla Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia Yulo said they are now preparing the evacuation of 18 families in the area, where ground fissures have been observed, as a result of heavy rains last week.
Yulo, who led the inspection of ground fissures in the sitio, said it was assessed by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office that the cracks will become bigger and may cause a landslide if rains will continue.
In 2007, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources discovered almost 700-hectare area in Brgy. Quintin Remo as “active landslide site”, following the appearance of several huge cracks in the ground.
At that time, the main crack in the ground stretched by about five kilometers.
However, resident farmers have remained in the area for almost 15 years now, despite the occurrence of the phenomenon.
Yulo said one of the farmers told her of a ground subsidence in his farm by about two feet.
She advised the affected families to temporarily seek shelter with their relatives away from danger zone, or to stay at the municipal evacuation center.
Yulo committed to provide transportation to the affected families in the hauling of valuables from their homes.
The evacuation is necessary for the safety of the people, she stressed./GB
