Natonin, Pasil mountains sink with huge fissures; folks flee

Search on for 6 victims buried alive 

NATONIN, Mountain Province – A mountain here at Sitio Tugoy, Barangay Banawel sank by around a meter Monday while a huge faultline and a crack divided the area while another in nearby Pasil, Kalinga had fissures on the mountain side and had swollen to 250 meters wide and 86 meters deep, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau reported

At least six families evacuated in Natonin Monday after the sinking of the mountain.

This was bared by Marivic Pangostian, Natonin planning and development officer Tuesday in Baguio during a seminar for government information officers and concerned officials regionwide organized by the Philippine Information Agency.

 Pangostian said evacuated residents are now staying with their relatives even as the municipal government is now addressing the situation. 

Heads of families of evacuated victims were identified by Pangostian as Mark Kihel, Rolly Tomrayen, George Machuli, Lina Seb-aten, and Brigido Lagawe.

, in adjacent Kalinga, more than 100 people were displaced in Barangay Yogyog Pugong in Pasil town last week amid threats of a landslide, according to the municipal disaster risk reduction and management office.

Pasil Mayor Alfredo Malannag has ordered the forced evacuation of residents in the area since Nov. 12 after tremors were experienced and confirmed by the MGB during an inspection.

This, as local police and volunteers continue search and retrieval operations in search for six still missing victims buried alive in Natonin in a Dept. of Public Works and Highways building during a recent typhoon.

Search, rescue and retrieval operations ended Nov. 22,   but efforts by various volunteers still continue.

Mountain Province Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer, lawyer Edward Chumawar said that the Incident Command Post in SItio Ha’rang, Banawel  officially terminated search, rescue and retrieval operations. 

On Nov. 22, at least 500 responders from different offices and provinces pulled out from the ground zero.

The local government and residents of this remote town observed a day of mourning and cleansing locally known as ngilin Monday for victims of the landslide in Barangay Banawel here.

Ivy Mariano, incident command post spokesperson, said the 24-hour mourning and cleansing started at dawn.

Mariano said no resident was allowed to leave or enter the town and no vehicle could pass through the Parecelis-Natonin road for 24 hours. Residents were also advised to stay at their homes.

Mayor Gaspar Chilagan of Aguinaldo, Ifugao had earlier issued an executive order declaring a weeklong mourning, which started on Nov. 6.

Most of the fatalities and those who are still missing are residents of Aguinaldo town.

They were in a newly constructed building of the Dept. of Public Works and Highways that was buried in the landslide.

The incident command post identified the missing as Esther Galong, a resident of Besao, Mountain Province; Randy Sayod of Villaviciosa, Abra; Inocencio Golingoy of Barangay Banawel in Natonin; Noel Alvester of  Lanna, Tabuk in Kalinga, and Eddie Galahya, Obaldo Guihawan and Jonathan Gano, all of Aguinaldo town.

A total of 22 bodies have been pulled out from the mountain rubble.

Local government units and volunteers ended their search and retrieval operations last week relatives of those who remain missing return to the area.

The municipal government said volunteers should register at the police station for monitoring.  

Natonin Mayor Chiwayan said search and retrieval operations of the remaining missing persons will not stop despite the pull out of the responders from   ground zero and nearby areas.

“LGU Natonin will continue to support the groups who will wish to continue the search and retrieval operations,” he said.

On Nov. 17, the Incident Command Post headed by PSI Glenn Apangachan   had a meeting with the various responders   and local officials led by Chiyawan and Aguinaldo, Ifugao Mayor Gaspar Chilagan for assessment of the situation after several days of not finding a body. 

They agreed to continue the operation until Nov. 22 in the hope of finding some of the missing.   

On last day of the massive search and retrieval operations,    an ecumenical mass was   held at the Incident Command Post attended by the responders, officials and residents of Natonin including family members of the missing individuals.

Chumawar explained that family members of the missing persons and community volunteers who plan to continue with the search and retrieval were advised to operate.

However, they needed to register at the Natonin Municipal Station for monitoring purposes and they will be accompanied by police personnel to the site for security. 

The PDRRMO noted that for 23 days since the incident, the Incident Command Post has consistently worked with all responders, generated periodic reports and has relayed such to proper authorities. Consequently, this has enabled leaders as well as concerned offices to address the influx of queries and to give updates, not only to families of the victims and to higher authorities, but also to various media outfit who played a great part in information dissemination and which helped in harnessing the much needed help needed for Natonin and at other areas affected by the latest calamities that has beset the province.

 As of Nov. 23, at least 22 bodies have been recovered from the ground zero and the nearby areas where the DPWH building washed out during the height of typhoon Rosita in October 30. 

Of the 22 bodies, 20 have been identified and claimed by their respective family members while two bodies are still unidentified and were temporarily laid in Alfonso Lista, Ifugao. At least six individuals are still missing from the tragic landslide incident. – Victor Martin with PIA reports