Housing aid set for families

The Cebu city government will give housing materials to families who were told to evacuate from landslide-prone area in sitio Candarong, barangay Pulang Bato.

They can expect 10 GI sheets and 10 sheets of plywood per family.

But they have to rebuild their houses away from the old quarry site, said Alvin Santillana, head of the Cebu City Risk Reduction Management Council.

Steady rains on Tuesday caused soil erosion and landslides in the mountain barangay.

Minor landslides were also reported in barangays Busay and Binaliw.

No damage was reported.

But barangay captain Maria Velasquez said she worried about the safety of families living nearby.

“It’s now up to the barangay captain to negotiate with the concerned families. It’s up to the assessment of residents if they will transfer and qualify for housing materials,” said Santillana.

Heavy equipment was already sent to Binaliw yesterday to clear a portion of the barangay road and will be sent as well to Pulang Bato.

Geohazard maps of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central Visayas (DENR-7) have long identifed 19 barangays in Cebu City as landslide prone.

Eddie Llamedo of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of DENR-7 said that barangays Busay, Baliw and Pulang Bato have been declared as highly susceptible to landslides.

Sitio Lower Busay in barangay Busay experienced five minor landslides since Sunday night, disrupting travel through the Transcentral Highway.

An old mango tree also fell from the hill to the roadside, said Genesis Pandon.

Cebu city workers cleared the road the next morning, but the side of the mountain near their house was eroded.

Another landslide covered a basketball court and part of a jeepney parking area.

A DENR threat advisory was issued in 2007 and 2010 for Busay, but families still occupy high-risk areas.

Busay barangay captain Eleodoro Sanchez said they tried to convince families to move but they wouldn’t listen.

He said that they could not force the residents to transfer since they have no evacuation site.

Mayor Michael Rama said he ordered the city’s quick response team to be on standby because of the low-pressure area spotted in Mindanao.

But Rama said that disaster preparedness is not only a responsibility of City Hall and that the barangays should help. chief of reporters doris bongcac