THE City Government of Naga in southern Cebu said the pre-evacuation order it issued to families who resettled in “no habitation zones” was merely a reiteration of warnings given by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) 7.
Acting Mayor Kristine Vanessa Chiong said the order had nothing to do with the cracks in Barangays Naalad and Mainit, as these have been there since last year’s deadly landslide.
But their presence strengthened her resolve to warn the 103 families (not 400, as earlier reported) who returned to the 12 sitios in six barangays that were included in the “no habitation zone,” she said.
These families had also already availed themselves of the City’s housing and financial assistance, she said.
“To be honest, this is only a reiteration. A reminder. But we’re also concerned because what we want is for residents to observe the ‘no habitation zone.’ We wouldn’t have worried if not for these instances, such as this (ground cracks) that came up while we are implementing the hazard reduction plan,” Chiong said in Cebuano.
Aside from the hazard reduction plan being implemented in Barangay Tina-an, Chiong said it’s still the rainy season. This may pose a problem to those living in “no habitation zones,” she said.
“If only they’d resettled, then we wouldn’t have any cause for alarm,” Chiong said in Cebuano.
The acting mayor also clarified that the cracks found in Naalad and Mainit were discovered by the MGB 6 after last year’s landslide. This was confirmed by Naalad Barangay Captain Sandra Cañalita.
Cañalita also told SunStar Cebu that the cracks have not moved since then. She also denied that new cracks were found in her barangay.
Cañalita said six of the 10 families identified by the City to be living in “no habitation zones” in her barangay were former residents who returned after the landslide.
SunStar Cebu tried to get an MGB official’s side on the matter, but he refused to have his statements put on record. JKV