Big cracks in the ground and rumbling sounds from beneath have raised fears that landslides could hit Sitio Baluc in Barangay Malasibog, Escalante, Negros Occidental.

Escalante Mayor Santiago Barcelona, Provincial Disaster Management Team chief Vicfran Defante and Provincial Social Welfare Officer Liane Garcia met yesterday to discuss measures to ensure the safety of the 13 families in the area. Defante said that while fissures had been seen in the ground in Mt. Lunay in Sitio Baluc, about 8 kilometers from the city proper, in the past, lately more and larger ones have been noted.

"And residents have complained that they can hear rumbling sounds from beneath the ground," Barcelona said.

These are signs of a possible landslide exacerbated by constant rain that has loosened the soil, he added.

The 13 families at the bottom of one of three mountains that surround a plateau in Barangay Malasibog and are vulnerable to landslides, he said.

So, as a precautionary measure, residents will be allowed to tend to their farms and animals during the day but will be made to spend their nights in makeshift shelters on higher ground, especially while the rains continue, he said.

The DSWD has committed to lend 13 tents to be used as temporary shelter, he said.*CPG

back to top