SEARCH and retrieval operations continue at the landslide site in Sitio Kipolot, Barangay Palacapao, Quezon, Bukidnon, where a couple remains missing after a massive soil collapse struck a section of the Bukidnon-Davao (BuDa) Road, a vital link connecting several key areas in Northern Mindanao.
A joint team composed of personnel from the Quezon Municipal Police Station and Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), together with the Philippine Army, Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Municipal Engineering Office (MEO), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and barangay tanods continues to dig through thick layers of soil and debris in hopes of recovering the missing victims.
The missing individuals were identified as Ely Ubatay and Thelma Ubatay, residents of Purok 9, Kahusayan, Kitaotao, Bukidnon. A “bao-bao” or three-wheeler vehicle believed to have been used by the couple was found buried beneath the landslide.
The landslide has rendered the BuDa Road in Kipolot, Quezon, impassable, cutting off one of the main arteries linking Bukidnon to Davao City. Engineers from the DPWH Bukidnon 2nd District Engineering Office, led by Assistant District Engineer Manuel Varias and Construction Division Chief Rey Emeterio, are currently assessing the extent of the damage and identifying possible alternative routes.
DPWH mobilizes teams
Following the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon has ordered the immediate mobilization of DPWH teams to the site and the temporary closure of the affected road section to ensure public safety and maintain the transport of essential goods between the two regions.
Motorists traveling between Bukidnon and Davao City are advised to avoid the BuDa Road and take alternate routes depending on their type of vehicle. For heavy vehicles such as trucks, the recommended route passes through Maramag via Camp One, then through Damulog, Carmen, Kabacan, Matalam, Kidapawan, Bansalan, and finally Digos City. For light vehicles such as cars and buses, motorists are advised to take the Valencia City–San Fernando–Talaingod–Kapalong route leading to Tagum City or Panabo City.
Other route options include Cagayan de Oro City to Tagum City via Junction Sayre Highway in Poblacion Valencia City, through the Kapalong–Talaingod–Valencia Road, and Camp One, Maramag to Davao City via the Bukidnon–Davao City Road through the Cotabato boundary to Carmen, Kabacan, Matalam, Kidapawan, and Digos City.
The DPWH added that the Butuan–Cagayan de Oro–Iligan Road (BCIR) remains the safest and most reliable alternate route for all types of vehicles traveling across Northern Mindanao.
Losses due to road infra damage
In a media interview with Quezon Mayor Pablo Lorenzo, the official expressed concern over the significant economic losses caused by the road’s closure, emphasizing that the BuDa Road is a major transport corridor for goods and commuters between Bukidnon and Davao City.
“The economy is truly affected, especially the movement of people,” Mayor Lorenzo said. “Although there are temporary ways to get through, the biggest impact is on the supply shipments heading to Davao and coming here. We need the DPWH to find a permanent solution.”
Lorenzo stressed the urgency of establishing a sustainable diversion route, saying that while temporary paths are being considered, restoring access to the main road remains the priority.
“That’s what I’m waiting for. I want to ask if they can complete a diversion road, but I mainly want to know if they can at least make the original route passable,” he added.
Cause of massive soil erosion
The mayor also noted that a significant portion of the road had previously undergone excavation and maintenance by the DPWH, but it appeared that erosion from underground water may have caused the slope failure.
Authorities said the landslide occurred shortly after a magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Surigao del Sur at around 8:31 p.m., with tremors felt across several areas in Mindanao, including Bukidnon.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the quake had a depth of 20 kilometers and was located 23 kilometers southeast of Cagwait, Surigao del Sur.
Residents across Davao, Surigao, and Bukidnon reported feeling the tremor, with many expressing concern online over the recent sequence of earthquakes and landslides amid persistent rains across the region.
As of press time, search and retrieval operations are expected to continue until the missing individuals are found, while authorities work to restore road access and ensure the safety of motorists and nearby communities. DEF