Riprap at orphanage substandard— EMB

The riprap that collapsed near an orphanage  in the mountain barangay of San Jose, Cebu City was “substandard”, according to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).

In their report, MGB geologists Abraham Lucero Jr. and Engr. Mario Bacus said the materials used for the riprap, which caved in during last Wednesday’s rains, were porous and inferior.

They said the occupants of  My Bonita Home for Girls can only return if high quality materials are  used to build the riprap in order to stabilize the slope.

“The safety of the orphans is important above all,” the team said.

The EMB team said their inspection showed that the silted soil makes the area vulnerable to landslides during downpours.

They recommended the evacuation of all occupants. The three-storey orphanage housed 87 children, five nuns and two house parents. The bulding is within an active landslide zone.

Sister Juliet Preagido, director of the orphanage run by the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart, said they were sad about  leaving the houses, which have been operating for five years.

“We have to prioritize the safety of the children first. We might use it as a retreat house for priests, but we’re still considering it,” Preagido told Cebu Daily News.

All occupants  were relocated to a nearby missionary community in Tabor Hill run by the Order of the Discalced Augustinians.

Preagido said they had just finished their evening prayers at 8:45 p.m last Wednesday when they heard a loud thud outside.

“We thought lightning hit a tree nearby. But we were surprised when the caretaker shouted that the ground moved,” she said.

They saw part of the garden fall down the slope. The grotto was also barely hanging.

Michelle, one of the orphans,  said  they panicked when they heard the explosion. The sisters told them to go out and  run to Tabor Hill.

“We ran barefoot. We forgot our slippers because of panic. Many children also cried,” she told CDN.

The children ran for more than 10 minutes under the rain in the rocky and dark pathway toward Tabor Hills.

For now, they stay in an  air-conditioned conference room in Tabor Hills. Their clothes and other house items were packed in sacks. .

Caretakers are still in the Bonita residence looking after the other appliances left behind. Reporter Candeze R. Mongaya