Landslide hits posh village

CEBU, Philippines — Rescuers of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CCDRRMO) and other agencies responded to a minor landslide at a private subdivision in Barangay Banilad, Cebu City early morning yesterday.

CCDRRMO Head Nagiel Bañacia said they were relieved after knowing that there are no construction workers who were pinned down because of the incident.

“There’s an ongoing riprap construction sa Maria Luisa. It was a mere landslide but wala’y victim, wala'y naangol or natabunan as confirmed sa construction company,” he told reporters.

The incident was received at 2:45 a.m. yesterday and the responders were pulled out at 7 a.m., after the construction firm certified that there are no people covered by the rocks and the soil.

Bañacia said the workers of the Maria Luisa subdivision were assigned to clear the road since it is a private property.

He said he endorsed the incident to the city’s Office of the Building Official to check the construction’s structural integrity.

“Dili ko engineer pero nahugno man gud siya. Ang akong conclusion is dunay problema sa structural engineering kay nahugno man,” he said.

Bañacia said he was told that the riprap was constructed to prevent landslide since there are houses on the mountain side of the subdivision.

But, he said OBO will check if the landslide happened because of the collapse of the riprap or the other way around.

Sought for comment, OBO Chief Engr. Josefa Ylanan said she already asked her engineers to check and inspect the site.

Ylanan said the inspection should include the verification if the construction firm has secured permits for the construction of the riprap.

Even if it is on a private property, there’s a need to seek clearance and permit from her office on any construction, she said.

As of yesterday afternoon, she said she has no reports and feedback from the engineers.

Rescue olympics

Meanwhile, the Department of Emergency Medicine, together with the Cebu City Disaster Management, local government units (LGUs) and non-governmental organizations, held a two-day Rescue Olympics at the South Road Properties.

The activity that ended yesterday was in line with the celebration for Emergency Medical Services' Week.

Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center’s (VSMMC) Dr. Leo Pataray, who heads the Department of Emergency Medicine, said that the main objective of the event was to unify all the medical emergency responders in term of emergencies and disasters.

“We all know that we are run independently, we have our own institutions, but ang atong goal lang ani is in case lang naay big emergencies nga mahitabo, at least na-practice na nato daan how to unify rescue. It is our main goal to save lives and the lives of the responders as well.  Makahibaw sila’s proper techniques and skills on how to rescue,” Said Pataray.

Rescue Olympics had medical emergency contests composed of Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation, on how to do chest compression and do rescue briefing, immobilize a patient with fractures and dislocations and how to use the Automated External Defibrillator (EAD).

The third station is the Triage, how to segregate the patients according to situations, and the last is how to endorse the patient to the proper institution to be brought with definitive care.

“The number one that we want to improve from this event is the unification of the emergency responders, mao na ang pinaka-goal. Second, at least makita gyud nato ang mga gamit na kinahanglanon in terms of response and rescue.  Third, is the training and skills of the responders, kay specific and proper gyud ta ana para matagaan nato og proper management atong mga pasyente,” Pataray said.

He assessed that the current state of emergency respond performance as better and he hopes that it can become the best in the future years.

In order to achieve that, more training and to standardize the curriculum in terms of First-Aid Training would have to be done, he said.

Bañacia, for his part, said that uniformity is the main objective of the event with zero competition among all emergency respondent organizations.

“Ang mga barangay atong gi-consolidate with one ambulance service aron usa ra ka language atong pagahimuon. Ambulance is a pre-hospital care is not a joke kay we are saving lives. Dili ta puwede masayop. There is no room for error,” said Bañacia.

Banaua added that this is also an initiative to accomplish the mission of saving lives and decrease the rate of deaths.

Fire situations’ simulation is one of their future plans for the next emergency medical event.

The Emergency Medical Week (EMW) is initiated by the Philippine College of Emergency Medicine in Manila last 2014.

The local government in Manila passed the EMW in Cebu under the VSMMC, in coordination with province and city of Cebu, DOH-7, Office of the Civil Defense and other LGUs. — Rena Mae Gocotano, CNU Intern (FREEMAN)