A HEAVY downpour that lasted around nine hours caused landslides in different parts of Cebu City, claiming two lives.
The victims were identified as 17-year-old Jemimah Ibuña and 26-year-old Claire Dosdos.
Jemimah, a resident of Sitio Caduloy, Barangay Tisa, and Dosdos, a resident of Purok 5, Barangay San Jose, were both found dead by members of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) 7 during search and rescue operations Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024, after they were buried when the riprap in their area collapsed due to the rain, which started Saturday night, Aug. 31.
Five residents in Sitio Caduloy were brought to the Cebu City Medical Center to be treated. Nine families were also evacuated to the Tisa National High School, while the affected area is being assessed amid the continuous rain.
Tisa Barangay Captain Bernardo Ada Lapiña Jr., in a statement posted on his Facebook page, said he will also determine if the owner of the property across Sitio Caduloy where the riprap stood has a liability.
Jemimah’s brother Junil said they heard a loud crash around 3:45 a.m., but ignored it. He said they were surprised when they woke up around 8 a.m. and saw that a portion of their house was already buried in soil.
He said they immediately called for rescue when they couldn’t find Jemimah.
Harold Alcontin, head of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said the soil held by the riprap by the side of Buhisan Road in Barangay Punta Princesa became too heavy because of the rain, causing the structure to give way.
He said this caused the soil and other debris to move down the slope, eventually reaching Sitio Caduloy and burying part of the Ibuña house.
Labangon Police Station Chief Maj. Eraño Regidor said he has deployed police personnel to keep residents away from the affected area.
Lapiña, who was in Manila for the Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas national assembly, rushed back to Cebu City when he heard the news. He immediately called for a council session to declare a state of calamity.
Around 11:30 a.m., a similar incident was reported in Barangay San Jose.
Dosdos, the victim, was later dug out from the rubble and rushed to the Cebu North General Hospital, where she was declared dead on arrival.
BFP 7 personnel also rescued five others in the neighborhood.
A landslide in Sitio Kalubihan in Barangay Banilad displaced one family, but no one was reported hurt.
Meanwhile, the heavy downpour which was attributed to the southwest monsoon inundated several parts of Bogo City in northern Cebu in floodwater.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said it will continue to monitor the situation and may issue additional warnings or advisories as needed.
The weather bureau also advised the public and local authorities to prepare and take precautionary measures for an untoward incidents. / AYB, JJL, CDF