A TOTAL of 35 families or 128 individuals from 32 households in Purok Riverside, Barangay Cantao-an, Naga City have been forced to leave because the mountain slope nearby sustained cracks.
The Naga City Government was advised by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to temporarily evacuate the people due to the possibility of a landslide endangering their lives.
The MGB made the recommendation after assessing the area together with Naga City Police Station chief Lieutenant Colonel William Homoc, Engr. James Generale from the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), Pronie Ubas from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and SunStar Cebu correspondent Dario Gil, on Thursday afternoon, October 26.
It was found out during their survey that, in the event of a landslide, rocks would bury the locals as well as the Metro Cebu Expressway, which is under construction.
The first batch of evacuees left the area at the end of September, and the second batch left in early October.
Generale claimed he first spotted the mountain slope breaking at the end of September, but it wasn't until this month of October that it grew bigger.
For this reason, they requested help from the MGB.
The affected residents are temporarily housed at Cantao-an Elementary School, and the city government will also supply them with food and water.
One of the residents, Marcial Tapinit, 62, said that he heard rumbling noises coming from the mountain at night, which made him decide to leave the area with his wife and four children. (DVG, TPT)
