FOLLOWING a collapse at Sitio Lipata, Barangay Pusok in Lapu-Lapu City, local officials will build a riprap to safeguard the residential area.
Pusok Barangay Captain Ranie Emperio told SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, that the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office has recommended building a riprap to prevent further incidents.
The collapse occurred on Monday morning, Sept. 15. An old Sambag tree was uprooted which led to the soil to erode.
Emperio said three houses were affected: roofs and walls of two houses got damaged while the other was deemed unsafe, prompting authorities to advise the occupants to relocate.
No injuries were reported during the incident.
City Environment and Natural Resources officer-in-charge Jocelyn Abayan, in a separate interview, said that the department will be evaluating the trees in the area.
She attributed the uprooting of the Sambag (Tamarind) tree to the persistent rains which softened the soil.
Abayan explained that trees deemed hazardous will be either trimmed or cleared, depending on the assessment of the potential risk they pose.
Marilou Castro, 38, one of the affected homeowners, was sleeping when the incident occurred. She woke up to the rock that fell near her feet.
“I’m really lucky it wasn’t a sudden crash. The rocks fell slowly, which is why I was able to wake up,” said Castro. / DPC