Plans to declare Guinsaugon a ‘sacred sanctuary’ bared

SAINT BERNARD, Southern Leyte — Gov. Rosette Lerias bared plans to declare Barangay Guinsaugon, which a massive landslide flattened last Feb. 17, killing scores of villagers, a "sacred sanctuary."

"We plan to declare it a sacred sanctuary where we can honor those who perish in the tragedy and serve as a reminder for all of us that one day in February, there was a landslide that killed many people," she said.

Last Friday night, local and foreign teams officially ended their search and rescue operation as incessant rains continued to batter the disaster site.

Lerias said the decision to stop the search and rescue was based on the experts’ opinion that the chances of surviving mudslides are far slimmer than in earthquakes.

Lerias said the relatives of those still missing should accept the reality that there would be no more survivors and that retrieving the bodies would be a massive undertaking considering the more 60 feet of mud, changing terrain and bad weather.

Saint Bernard Mayor Maria Lim said they are still looking for a relocation site for the survivors.

"We need three to four hectares to accommodate all of them in one area," she said.

Lim said they also plan to relocate at least 500 families from 12 landslide-prone barangays adjoining Guinsaugon amid fears that they may suffer the same fate.