Friday, September 19, 2008 Another body unearthed; Masara slide toll now 25 By Carlo P. Mallo and Ben O. Tesiorna
AFTER ten days of being buried under tons of mud and rocks, the body of Merlita Semboryo, 44-years-old, was finally unearthed in Barangay Masara in Maco Compostela Valley Wednesday afternoon.
Major Roland Rodil of the Army's 25th Infantry Battalion said only one person, identified as Teodoro Velasquez, remains missing in their list.
The retrieval of Semboryo's body brought to 25 the number of fatalities in the landslides that hit the mountain village of Masara.
Wednesday's retrieval operation was again suspended after heavy rain poured in the area.
But forced evacuation is being enforced following the declaration of Masara as a "no man's land."
Rodil said they are now cooperating with the local government unit in order to fully evacuate residents in the area. Masara was also declared by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau as a geohazard area.
However, some residents of Masara continued to return to the area despite the risks due to the investments that they have put in the area, especially in their homes and in their farm lots.
"The mayor of Maco should exercise his police power," Rodil said.
Other than Masara, the village of Mainit, also in Maco, is also landslide-flashflood prone area.
MGB-Southern Mindanao chief Noel Angeles said the two barangays are located between two mountains that are not very stable. He said the two barangays could easily be trapped in case the mountains collapse as what happened last September 6 and 7.
He added that Lake Leonard and another big river are also situated above Masara and Mainit. He said if the lake and the river's water overflow, it will drain down to Masara River, which could not accommodate the huge volume of water that may come rushing down hence, the two barangays could easily be inundated.
