Dark Christmas

Nearly three months since the landslide in the city of Naga in Cebu on Sept. 20, it will certainly be a sad Christmas for most of the affected people there. 

I heard that the government, through the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, has not been able to fully implement immediate site restoration and protection. 

This is alarming as another disaster may happen again. The DENR should have already acted many weeks ago to have all the precariously situated debris in the entire affected area cleared.

Otherwise, it could result in another, possibly bigger, landslide.

The national and local governments should also immediately ensure that the final relocation site is safe.

Furthermore, authorities should also immediately act judiciously to ensure the complete rehabilitation and resumption of a major livelihood by the majority of the constituencies through the cement plant there. 

Dangerous deadlock

However, in the meantime, it appears that there is a standstill on how to move forward to improve the general situation of the people. 

Worse, the ongoing impasse may potentially claim more casualties and further wreak havoc on the city’s economy.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu took immediate action and suspended MGB officials whom he deemed responsible for the disaster. Right away, the DENR chief formed a team of experts to investigate the cause of the landslide.

Meanwhile, hundreds of volunteers from the city government of Naga, the Provincial Disaster & Risk Reduction team, civil society groups and Apo Land & Quarry Corp. (ALQC) pooled resources necessary for the retrieval, relief, evacuation and relocation operations.

But what happened? Eight weeks on, many affected residents remain in evacuation centers. The tons of debris and unstable slopes around them continue to put them at risk and there might be another tragedy.

 APO Cement Corp. (APO Cement), for its part, is taking more measures that will prove significant to the local people and the cement industry of the country.

Natural hazard

After a thorough investigation by the DENR-MGB led by MGB geologist Liza Manzano, the team concluded that areas surrounding the site of the landslide must be declared as danger and no habitation zones. 

The DENR-MGB also noted that the landslide that occurred in Barangay Tinaan, Naga, Cebu is “a complex type of mass movement, a combination of planar block slide and subsidence”. 

Such a hazard usually occurs in what experts described as a “karst” terrain, which is characterized by underground systems of water drainage, sinkholes and caves.

The investigation also revealed that the landslide was triggered by the “removal or weakening of underlying support”. This impairment of structural support underneath was attributed to two natural causes — ground shaking due to strong magnitude earthquakes in the past like the Bohol earthquake in 2013 and the presence of water saturated zones underneath the landslide areas.

Hazard reduction plan

To mitigate the current risks posed by the identified hazards, ALQC, in close coordination with the city government of Naga and the DENR regional offices concerned, submitted a hazard reduction plan for DENR’s approval. 

Now all eyes are on the agencies which are expected to approve and implement the plan.

APO cement

As for APO Cement, the company decided to implement additional drastic measures to remain viable given the continuing challenges of having to source raw materials from here and abroad.

APO Cement said it has suspended operations of its Davao cement terminal and one of its two kilns in Cebu following the suspension of ALQC, its main source of raw material.

I believe cement supply in the country, especially in Visayas and Mindanao, will definitely feel a squeeze by this decision as the Davao terminal holds and dispatches about 25,000 bags on a daily basis and the Cebu kiln is the “heart” of the cement manufacturing operations of the second largest plant in the Philippines.

The company is also looking at renegotiating the terms of its obligations with its suppliers and implementing a reduced workweek for the remaining employees. 

 Indeed, as I write this, the situation in Naga is not looking very positive, especially with some residents still in evacuation centers and are at risk of another disaster.

It’s not clear yet when the situation will improve, but I do hope there will not be another disaster in Naga or anywhere in the country. 

Iris Gonzales’ e-mail address is [email protected]