IN instances when people are advised to evacuate danger zones and they refuse, who should be held liable in the event of a calamity and there are casualties?
Is it the barangay officials, residents, or the Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office?
“If people are ordered to evacuate and they refuse to obey, then it’s their fault,” said Cebu City Attorney Joseph Bernaldez.
The question was raised after the huge crack that runs down the mountainside in Sitio Sandayong drew concerns from some residents and officials of Barangay Buhisan since it was only a month ago when a massive landslide hit the City of Naga.
The crack is a fissure brought about by the magnitude 7.2 earthquake on Oct. 15, 2013.
A joint inspection will be conducted tomorrow, Oct. 22, by the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CCDRRMO), the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) 7.
A CCDRRMO team, though, already conducted a physical inspection of the affected area yesterday and will submit their findings to the MGB Central Office.
The site inspection on Monday is an offshoot of the request of Buhisan Barangay Captain Gremar Barete, who wanted the five-year-old crack reevaluated to see if a relocation would be necessary to avoid untoward incidents.
There are 30 houses right below the slope where the crack is found. At least 300 individuals might have to be placed under preemptive evacuation.
A December 2013 report on the geohazard assessment of the October 2013 earthquake revealed that the MGB 7 submitted a landslide threat advisory to Barete, who was also barangay captain at that time.
The earthquake had triggered a landslide in Sitio Sandayong, but there were no reported casualties or injuries. Several houses were damaged, though.
An ocular inspection showed a “series of tension cracks” that had developed after the earthquake.
A landslide also took place in January 2012. It was located about 100 meters to the west of the October 2013 landslide.
“The occurrence of several tension cracks near the crown of the new landslide is a sign that there is a possibility of further movement and expansion of the landslide. During heavy and continuous rains, water will enter inside these tension cracks and may trigger reactivation of the said landslide,” reads a portion of the report.
Because of this, the MGB “strongly” recommended that the residents be relocated immediately to a safer, elevated and stable ground. It added that signage and permanent barriers should also be placed near the affected area.
The MGB also recommended that barangay personnel should regularly monitor movement of old and new tension cracks and landslides, especially during heavy and continuous rains.
Earlier, Barete said they already identified the people who needed to be relocated, but they were reportedly uncooperative.
But before any finger-pointing be made or a preemptive evacuation be implemented, CCDRRMO Chief Nagiel Bañacia said it is important to educate the barangay officials and affected residents first.
He added that the CCDRRMO will have to explain first thoroughly what preemptive evacuation is to Mayor Tomas Osmeña, the barangay officials and the residents.
“Since the Naga landslide, almost all of our mountain barangays in Cebu City have requested for a site inspection in their area. We can’t accommodate all of them at once, so what we do is educate them first to prevent causing panic. The MGB is the technical expert; we come up with mitigating measures,” Bañacia said.
Barete, in a separate interview, said he will call for a meeting with the affected residents once the follow-up inspection is finished.
He said the barangay council has already eyed a possible relocation site for those that might have to be evacuated.
“Naa na tay recommended lot in Sitio Talisayan. It’s about 6,000 square meters,” Barete said. RTF