Compostela folk told to abandon 2 villages

DAVAO CITY – Residents of the mining villages of Masara and Mainit in Compostela Valley were ordered to evacuate following the twin landslides over the weekend that left 24 people dead, 32 others injured and two more missing.

Chief Superintendent Andres Caro II, Southern Mindanao police director, said the Mining and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) has recommended that Barangays Masara and Mainit be immediately abandoned and declared no longer inhabitable.

“The place is no longer suitable for people to live in,” he said.

Over 350 families have reportedly evacuated while several others remain in the area despite the onslaught of boulders and mud due to incessant rains in the past few days.

The adjacent Barangay Elizalde has reportedly been considered as possible relocation site.

Compostela Valley Gov. Arthur Uy told The STAR that Masara and Mainit would be totally abandoned based on the MGB recommendation during a conference called yesterday by the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC).

“We will act on it. (Everyone) has to leave the place,” Uy said. “We have to get these people out before anything else happens.” – With James Mananghaya