Task force vs. landslides  

The day after the big landslide hit Sitio Garaje in Barangay Busay, I tried to visit the place. It is exactly the same location where a landslide also happened in 2017, only that the site was across it. I still remember that several jeepneys were damaged and the house above it had to be demolished to reduce any risk. The jeepneys are still there, except that a sturdy retaining wall has been built in place.

I tried to look down below to the house that was pushed to the bottom. It was an eerie sight, let alone the voices heard in the viral video of the actual moving of the soil. Times have changed and the land we used to know is not safe anymore.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama signed an executive order this week establishing a task force versus landslides. It seeks to provide the necessary measures to prevent such occurrences from happening again. The order also mandated a suspension to quarrying and earth-moving activities in the city's upland areas. Cebu city has over 30 mountain barangays which boast of scenic views and abundant produce. Consistent soil erosion is making this great picture look bad.

While we appreciate the action to create a group dedicated to this problem (as to other issues in the city), we also question the timing. Why now? What did leaders do in the past to address this situation? Did the city engineering offices or office of the building official bat their eyelashes at the fact that structures were constructed on the mountain slopes? Whatever the answer is, the past administration certainly couldn't answer it for now. At this point too, there is no sense in pointing fingers. I guess this is what Rama wants to see past and look forward to what could be done.

However, there are a number of people who might be refusing to move out. With my initial talks with residents, some of them only have these properties to live in or they have sentimental value to it. But when the need arises due to danger, I guess these reasons will be out of the picture.

The mountain barangay lover in me is also torn. I love going up the different establishments up the mountains of Cebu City to decompress or to think. Now that there is risk in enjoying the scenery, one has to think twice. Are the roads okay? Is the weather permissible? This and many more should be taken into consideration.

Let us also pay tribute to our disaster responders who have been watching over the possible incidents in the mountains round the clock. In fact, one responder who was on his way home from duty also lost his life because of a vehicular accident. There are risks everywhere we go, we can minimize it and be thankful about the lesser evil situation. I just hope the ground stabilizes itself and we can go back to usual.