Gov’t not giving up on finding landslide survivors in Naga

Rescuers use shovels and pickaxes to dig through earth and rocks that buried a community near a limestone quarry in the city of Naga in Cebu province. CEBU DAILY NEWS / JUNJIE MENDOZA

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said rescuers were still hoping to find survivors from the landslide in Naga City, Cebu, where 46 bodies have already been found as of Monday morning.

Over 30 more people are still missing as rescue operations continued.

READ: Landslide from quarry: 46 bodies already found

“We are hopeful. Hindi naman tayo nagi-give-up diyan. Sana nga meron pa tayong makuhang mga buhay,” Albayalde said in a press briefing on Monday.

(We are hopeful. We are not giving up. We hope to find more survivors.)

He said rescuers couldn’t be pessimistic because there could still be people trapped under the landslide and waiting for help.

“We are optimistic, especially sa Naga City,” the police chief said.

The landslide buried about 30 houses in Barangay Tinaan and Barangay Naalad on September 20 due to heavy rainfall bought by typhoon “Ompong” (International name: “Mangkhut”).

It occurred five days after another landslide hit Itogon in Benguet, where 49 bodies have been recovered as of Sunday. /cbb