DPWH honors workers killed in landslide

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has paid tribute to its two workers who died in a landslide triggered by Typhoon Ulysses in Banaue, Ifugao on Thursday.

DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said the agency would remember the selflessnes and sacrifices of Joel Chur-ig and John Duclog.

“My thoughts and prayers go out to our personnel who bravely served the country and paid the ultimate price. We will exhaust all efforts to look for the missing and support the families of the victims. Let us pray that those missing will be found,” Villar said yesterday.

As this developed the search for DPWH engineers John Limoh, 31, and Julius Gulayan, 24, continues.

Limoh and Gulayan along with Chur-ig and Duclog were trapped under rocks and mud that rolled down the mountain in Sitio Nabito, Barangay Viewpoint at around 5:40 p.m.

The four were among five personnel of the DPWH-Quick Response Team tasked to clear the highway of mud and rocks brought by landslides.

The fifth member of the team, Jacob Guinyang, survived as he was checking their equipment at the other side of the road when disaster strikes.

Villar said the team left the DPWH-Banaue Satellite Office at around 2 p.m. to verify reports of numerous landslides along the Nueva Vizcaya-Ifugao-Mountain Province road.

Heavy rains compelled the team to seek shelter at a house in the area, when rocks and mud rolled down the slope, buyring them.

Meanwhile, the amount of damage to roads and infrastructure caused by Ulysses was estimated at P8.45 billion as of noon yesterday, the DPWH said. – Jose Rodel Clapano