Before we could get over the shock of the wrath of typhoon Frank that left hundreds dead, another natural disaster took the lives of four people, this time in the southern tip of Cebu, after a mudslide in the town of Samboan.
A woman and three children died because of the deluge in barangay Escalon, which happened at around 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
Residents in the area said that rain poured incessantly starting at around 7 p.m. “Mga alas siyete siguro to gabii, nagsugod na ug uwan,” Estrella Tomaron, who lives near the area, told The FREEMAN.
She said that they did not expect the landslide to happen since there has been no history of such in the place.
“Nakahimangno na lang mi nga naay nangayo ug tabang mao nga gidali dayon namo ug adto,” another resident said.
It was only then that they found out that four houses were already covered with mud while those who were able to escape from nature’s rage were calling for help from their neighbors.
“Hinay ra man unta to ang uwan primero pero naa may liti,” Baby Luna Cañete, who lost two of her sons, told The FREEMAN.
“Ang akong balay nagupok na,” she said adding that her two sons were sleeping in their living room when mud rushed into their house.
“Gi-safety nako og una ang ako bata (youngest), didto nako gi-agi sa bintana,” she said.
She immediately went back to her house to rescue her two other sons, but when she returned to the place, the two children were already buried in mud.
“Nikusog ang uwan dugay kayo naugkay akong mga anak,” she related while weeping. Cañete added that she asked for help, but her neighbors or even the rescuers were not able to respond immediately.
“Dugay pag-ayo ang sakyanan, dugay kaayo ni-alert sa amoa dapita. Mabuhi pa unta ang usa pero dugay kayo natabang. Ulahi na kayo sila,” she lamented.
Cañete’s sons who died in the mudslide were identified as Nathaniel, 4, and Erol, 2.
A mother and her child identified as Florence Galla, 30, and Edwin Galla Jr., 1, also died due to the mudslide.
Those who were injured in the incident were brought to the M. J. Cuenco Memorial Hospital in the nearby town of Malabuyoc.
They are Edwin Galla Sr., 30; Rowelia Galla, 4; Ritchell Galla, 2; Judith Galla, 27; George Caballero, Richard Caballero and Raymund Caballero.
In an interview with The FREEMAN, SPO1 Dominador Ferrolino of the Samboan Police Station said that the police tried their best to respond immediately, but were hampered by heavy rain.
Although some residents said that the landslide was due to the leaking water pipe in that area, the police on the other hand, surmised that the incident was merely because of heavy rainfall.
“Wala mi kahibalo nga naa di-ay pipe sa ilawom. Pag-adto sa police, nay nakit-an pipe pero naibot na,” Ferrolino added.
However, they are still conducting an investigation whether there was really a leaking of the pipe which allegedly caused the soil to give way.
Samboan Municipal Mayor Raymund Joseph Calderon has ordered the 10 families living near the area to seek temporary shelter at the town’s gym while they are trying to identify a relocation site.
He also assured that the municipality would provide burial assistance for the victims while the Cebu Provincial Capitol already sent some relief goods to the residents of the affected area. — /NLQ