Osmeña plans livelihood for evacuated Sinsin folk

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday revealed his plan to provide livelihood to the evacuated residents of sitio Nangka in barangay Sinsin who are threatened by landslide.

The mayor thinks that aside from earning a living, the residents could also help in rehabilitating the affected part of the barangay by hiring them to do the stockpiling of sandbags through a “pakyaw” system.

“The idea is to ‘de-waterize’ the mountain because it is already incriminated with water. We have to remove the water from the mountain because it is very unstable,” Osmeña told reporters during a press conference.

The Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council has implemented the forced evacuation of 20 of the 41 families that were earlier identified by the Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau as living within the “danger zone.”

The MGB has earlier conducted an inspection in the area and recommended for the relocation of 41 families from the site following a landslide that hit the area last May 2 after several days of downpour.

Councilor Gerardo Carillo, CCDCC action officer said, that of the 41 houses, 20 are within the area where there is imminent danger because the soil in the site has already loosened and cracks are already visible.

To rehabilitate the area, Osmeña explained that sandbags would be used, especially as foundation for the road because they are resistant to erosion.

He cited that in 2001, the city experimented in Budlaan when a dirt road there became very muddy and was almost impassable. Instead of covering the road with rocks, the mayor instructed workers to use sandbags, which he said, became very effective.  — Wenna A. Berondo/LPM