G-HERNANDEZ Mayor Jess Baja said that the Candanas landslide area has been placed as “Danger Zone” by Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC) upon the recommendation of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office.
“Effective immediately, the area will be totally closed. The ground has become hollow and extremely dangerous, and even the pathways within the landslide-affected area have been identified as hazard zones,” the advisory said.
The town decided to ban the crossing the landslide area for the safety and well-being of all and to prevent accidents.
The mayor admitted, however, that in reality it was hard to prohibit the residents from crossing it since they continue to pass through the area since no other alternative road, for now while another one is being created. He said that if residents forced their way to pass thru it so it might be at their own risks.
The mayor also bared that initial observation of the landslide-affected is that there are at least three sinkholes thereat.
This came when another cracks bore the concrete road and a sinkhole nearby in purok 5, barangay Candanas, G-hernandez were being noticed that gripped the residents in fear here.
The cracks particularly in puroks 1 and 6 along the road leading to at least five barangays turned into massive, slow-moving landslide, of about 5 hectares, destroyed along its way some 11 houses and several other big trees and plants and wiping electric power. Barangay captain Anthony Ladesma confirmed this in an interview with the media and Philippine Information Authority (PIA) who visited in person the said place.
The said barangay have suffered brownout as result of toppled power post, which is being put in place the conection by BOHECO II linemen when the media visited the place.
In Valencia, another road cracks and ultimately turned into landslide washed out the box culvert in mountain barangay Anonang during the heavy downpour brought about by typhoon Tino and Uwan. It has crippled transportation and people passing thru it to another barangay.
Cutting connectivity literally, the said cracks have rendered the road in (Anonang) connecting barangays Botong, Marawis, Maubo and Omjon, Valencia, impassable.
In barangay Anonang, a house owned by Pedy Masia also suffered a big crack on its yard, tearing its kitchen and pigsty just a few steps from where the box culvert is located, barangay captain Nerio Rara said.
Velencia Mayor Dionision Neil A. Balite said that he dispatched his men to work on the said road while awaiting for the provincial government help. The men tried to put in place some steel sheets on the washed out area just so motorcycles and residents could pass thru it.
The provincial government has sent a team of workers to make patch up the road destroyed, he said. (Ric Obedencio)
