Beach collapses in Zambales; Army securing shoreline

MANILA, Philippines - The beach of Puerto del Mar in Candelaria, Zambales collapsed Saturday afternoon, possibly due to soil erosion caused by strong tidal waves, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) said yesterday.

MGB director Leo Jasareno said the incident occurred at around 4:30 p.m.

Around 80 to 100 meters of shoreline slumped to a depth of two meters. As a result of the phenomenon, the sea moved about 10 meters facing land, Jasareno said in a telephone interview.

There were no fatalities reported.

“This is a natural phenomenon. There may have been soil erosion because of the strength of the tidal waves or there may be a sinkhole,” Jasareno said.

He said an eight-man team composed of MGB geologists was expected to arrive at site yesterday to determine the exact cause of the slump.

“We will also be determining if the same phenomenon is occurring in nearby areas,” he said.

Jasareno noted that there are no magnetite mining operations in the area.

Swimming is temporarily prohibited on the beach.

Meanwhile, a shore protection project of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in La Union saved the coastal village of Barangay Pilar from being totally wiped out.

At least 15 hectares of the total land area of the village were submerged due to strong waves caused by storm surges and typhoons in the past, according to Councilor Protacio Cabueñas.

But with the completion of the P36-million shore protection project of the DPWH, it is expected that portions of the village’s total area will be restored.

Cabueñas said the sinking of Barangay Pilar started after a sand mining company left the area in the late 1970s.

“Some of our constituents have transferred to nearby barangay Santiago because there’s no more space to build houses in Pilar,” he said. -With Jun Elias