Landslide victim in Oro now safe

FIVE-YEAR-OLD Adrian Rosales is now in safe condition, one week after he was hit by falling rocks and covered with earth when an abandoned quarry site in Upper Kolambog, Lapasan collapsed due to an intensity 4 earthquake in Cagayan de Oro.

The landslide had caused injuries and bruises on Rosales’ fragile body and killed his 45-year-old grandmother Emelita Ubalde.

Lapasan village chief Omar Labuntog said Rosales shows signs of progress and is now recuperating at the Capitol University Medical City.

“He can now open his eyes and can now walk slowly,” he said.

Earlier, Labuntog said the boy will undergo surgery due to “severe damage to his head,” as relayed by his doctors.

However, he said on Friday that the boy’s doctors would no longer recommend surgery.

“Based on the findings of the doctors, he will undergo a series of post traumatic debriefing because of the trauma and the pain that the boy suffered from the incident,” Labuntog said.

Rosales was left alone with Ubalde in their house while his parents are working in Balingasag, Misamis Oriental.

Rosales’ mother Irene earlier said she was worried after the boy shows signs of trauma and constant nightmares every time he wakes up.

“We will bring him to Balingasag once he is fully recovered and start a new life. Hopefully, all the trauma and pain that he experienced will go away,” she said in the vernacular.

Labuntog said after the incident, he “endorsed” Rosales to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and was immediately given P10,000 to help pay for the hospital expenses while another P10,000 was donated by Cagayan de Oro 1st District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez.

Related to this, Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya had requested the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to provide him with the needed information about the quality of soil in the affected area and other locations that are prone to landslides.

He said other critical, densely populated and landslide-prone areas should also be checked.

“We will still wait for the findings of DENR to determine what action we will do,” Nacaya said.

The Office of the Building Official had conducted visual checking of the area and confirmed it was vulnerable to landslide.

Because of this, Nacaya proposed that the area be cleared and precautionary measures must be undertaken in coordination with the barangay.