2nd landslide hits Mandaue barangay in less than a week

Officials will relocate at least 20 families from their homes in barangay Casuntingan, Mandaue City after part of a hill collapsed on a house after the soil shifted anew yesterday morning.

No casualties were reported in the incident. Residents said the owner of the house, Tadeo Montes, was at work while his family members were staying with relatives when the incident happened at around 9 p.m.

Five families from the same area were moved to safer grounds last Sunday after heavy rains triggered a landslide on Saturday evening.

Barangay chairman Oscar Castillo, who was on the scene, said they are setting up tents in a nearby basketball court for the affected families.

“We are preparing the basketball court as their evacuation area, we are just waiting for the tents,” he said.

The families were supposed to be transferred out of their houses yesterday, but the barangay ran out of tents. Del Castillo said the families will move out today.

He said the affected families will stay in temporary shelters until after a permanent relocation site in barangay Paknaan would be ready to accommodate them.

Del Castillo said Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes has assured him of the city hall’s help.

“Mayor Cortes is very willing to help us in the relocation,” he added.

Del Castillo said there are about 400 people living in a community of 70 houses near the hill. Roger Paller, information officer of Mandaue City, told Cebu Daily News they are providing food for three days. Paulina Gutang, 32, who lives just five steps away from the house that got buried in Wednesday’s landslide, said she and her husband are worried about the safety of their five children.

“We couldn’t sleep at night especially when it rains,” she said.The Gutang family is particularly anxious about a 17-feet palm tree that they said could topple on their house anytime.

“Mahadlok ko kay kaning kahoya og matumba ma-abot jud ni sa among balay tungod sa kataas ani niya,” Gutang added.