IT has been more than a week since a massive landslide hit Sitio Sindulan, Barangay Tina-an, City of Naga resulting in the death of more than 60 persons with several others still missing but the finger pointing between the Naga City Government, a government agency, and the quarry operator continues. Officials of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) 7 of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), City of Naga Mayor Kristine Vanessa Chiong and the Apo Land and Quarry Corp. (ALQC) are trying to wash their hands of responsibility for the incident.
Chiong noted that she issued a cease and desist order (CDO) against ALQC when residents in Tina-an found some unusual soil movements in the area. She only lifted the CDO upon receiving a report from MGB geologists that “the cracks and fissures found in the area are not related to the quarry operations...and do not pose danger to the residents and neighboring communities.”
But why did Chiong not act on the recommendations made by MGB 7, which has been monitoring the area since 2007? MGB 7 geologists inspected the area and came up with geohazard maps. They claimed they recommended the immediate relocation of some of the residents especially in Sitio Sindulan.
ALQC, on the other hand, said they did not undertake any activity in the collapsed area. But the residents claimed ALQC conducted quarry operations in Sitio Tagaytay and Sindulan. Proof is that several heavy equipment of the company and its operators were buried in the landslide area.
MGB 7 officials dismissed the public claim that their negligence caused the landslide. Relieved MGB 7 director Loreto Alburo said they were never remiss in their duties.
In 2011, MGB 7 reported that the affected area was at the foot of a slope located across Pangdan river. It recommended the immediate evacuation and permanent relocation of 26 houses at the foot of the slope. They observed tension cracks/fractures developing along the ridge on regular/daily basis, especially during the rainy season.
But Alburo admitted they only conducted an inspection in Sitio Tagaytay last August because there was a request. But how far is Sitio Tagaytay from Sindulan? MGB people should have continued inspecting Sitio Sindulan and insisted that the residents should be immediately relocated. That could have minimized the casualties.
In the assessment, MGB 7 said the cracks and fissures noticed in Sitio Tagaytay were not critical and do not pose danger to its “neighboring communities.”
“Neighboring” is “next to or very near another place.” The other words for it are adjacent, adjoining, bordering, connecting, abutting, proximate, near, close, nearby. So why was Sitio Sindulan not included in the August inspection? Now, MGB 7 officials are claiming they were not negligent?
Maayo unta og Sindulan, Mabolo pa na o Sindulan, Tagaytay City kay pwerteng layoa. Pero duol ra kaayo unya wa gyud nila hapita o dalikyati og inspection ang Sindulan nga dugay naman nila diay nang gi-monitor? Kay way request? Request nga sumpay ra man na.