THE families of members of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) who perished in a landslide in Natonin, Mountain Province during the onslaught of Typhoon Rosita will receive P200,000 each as financial assistance from the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The assistance will be given to the families after the bodies have been identified and confirmed by the Department of Health, Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Police Regional Office Cordillera.

Lieutenant Colonel Rembert Baylosis, Group Commander of the 77th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army said the assistance is in recognition of their services rendered to the Philippine Army.

Based on the account of a child of one of the five CAFGU members, they were trapped at the ground floor of the five-story building of the DPWH when the landslide occurred.

“Five of them were together when the incident occurred. The son ran towards a sewerage system to seek cover until he was retrieved by rescuers following the incident,” Baylosis said.

Meanwhile, rescue and retrieval operations will continue despite calls from Mayor Mateo Chiyawan to end the operations by Friday this week.

Civil Defense Administrator and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Executive Director Ricardo Jalad said a contingent of responders coming from Cagayan Valley region is set to relieve the present responders.

“Director Carandang said that according to Usec. Jalad, you pursue with the rescue and retrieval operations since a contingent from Region 2 equipped with rescue and retrieval equipment will be coming to speed up the operations,” Chiyawan added.