‘Don’t wait for disaster to strike’

CEBU CITY should purchase a relocation site for residents who might be displaced because of a crack found by the mountainside in Sitio Sandayong, Barangay Buhisan.

Councilor Dave Tumulak, head of the committee on disaster risk reduction management and climate change adaptation, told reporters yesterday that he will submit a recommendation on the matter.

“I will submit the recommendation to look for a relocation site to Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CCDRRMO) chief Nagiel Bañacia. We have enough money in the disaster fund for this purpose. It’s also allowable under the law,” he said in Cebuano.

Tumulak said the City should provide a relocation site as a preemptive measure.

He also urged residents in the area to open their minds to the possibility of being relocated for their safety, should experts deem the area dangerous.

“What happened in Naga last month should be an eye-opener for them. We don’t want loss of life and loss of property. We should not wait for another disaster to happen,” he said in Cebuano.

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) will finish its site inspection and technical assessment of the cracks in Sitio Sandayong this morning.

Buhisan Barangay Captain Gremar Barete said geologists from the MGB arrived yesterday afternoon to inspect the area.

Last week, Barete sought the help of the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources, CCDRRMO and the MGB 7 to look at the fissure, which was brought about by the magnitude 7.2 earthquake on Oct. 15, 2013.

Barete said the crack had already been inspected, but he wants it reassessed after the landslide struck Sitio Sindulan in Barangay Tina-an, City of Naga last month, killing 78 persons.

The CCDRRMO already conducted a separate site inspection last Saturday and its findings were submitted to the MGB for technical review and assessment.

According to Barete, there is no initial report on the matter yet, but the CCDRRMO found a one-meter crack and traces of a slight landslide due to direct exposure to rain. Full vegetation was also observed in the area.

“The MGB and CCDRRMO will meet to discuss the matter,” he said in Cebuano.

The barangay council has already eyed a 6,000-square-meter property in Sitio Talisayan as a possible relocation site for those who might have to be evacuated. An owner of a private lot in Sitio Dulhugan has also expressed intent to sell.

“The documents are being processed so these can be approved by the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board. The negotiation is ongoing,” Barete said.

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