- MITCH M. LIPA
A café along the highway of Don Salvador Benedicto was partially damaged Monday morning after a landslide occurred in Purok Kulasi, Barangay Kumaliskis in the town due to heavy rains brought by tropical storm “Maring”.
A report from the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office showed moderate to heavy rains experienced in the town since Sunday. This resulted in the landslide in the area that affected the Kurvada Café and Balay sa Busay establishments.
Mayor Marxlene Dela Cruz said the MDRRMO personnel were able to rescue 20 staff members and guests of the establishments, and evacuated them to safer grounds.
What was damaged was the stairs landing that the guests and employees were using. The business establishments were temporarily closed after the incident, the mayor said, adding that no one was hurt when the incident happened.
He advised all other establishments at the hilly portion of the town to be on alert and take precautionary measures against landslides.
Zeaphard Caelian of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said that since the weekend, all local disaster offices of the towns and cities of Negros Occidental have been advised to heighten their alert level due to “Maring”.
Local government units that are prone to flooding were told to report immediately to the command center for coordination and proper deployment of responders, in cases of emergency.
In Bacolod, Joemarie Vargas, executive assistant for disaster risk reduction and management operation, said he increased to Alert Level 2 the preparedness of all barangay-based DRRMOs.
Vargas said they are closely monitoring all shoreline barangays of Bacolod and those prone to flooding.
Five cases of uprooted trees and fallen branches were received by the CDRRMO since Monday.
A delivery van was damaged after an acacia tree fell on the back portion of the vehicle along Magsaysay Road. The driver, Lemuel Hernaiz, 36, of Barangay Tangub, and helper Jonas Casiple, from Barangay Granada, were hurt, the CDRRMO reported.
Peter Sanchez, head of responders of the Bacolod DRRMO, said that several calls were also received yesterday of fallen branches or trees in barangays Mansilingan, Villamonte, and Mandalagan that clogged traffic and posed danger to commuters and the passing public. — MML
