Bontoc family decides to have concrete house destroyed to open road

‘Typhoon Egay’ casualty 

By Christy Mae F. Che-es- Pangesfan 

BONTOC, Mountain Province – A family here made the painful decision to have their concrete house demolished to open a new road following a road cut which transpired here along Sitio Kechay, Barangay Guina-ang around 4 p.m. July 26, which affected transportation of villagers going to the central business district.
    The road portion slid down when the mountain beside it collapsed at the height of recent super typhoon Egay.
    This prompted couple Rudy and Kimberly Langpawen and their three minor children to willingly have their house demolished to pave the way for road expansion so their townmates could travel to the Poblacion.
    Rudy was a former barangay official while Kimberly is an incumbent barangay health worker, said Alpine Killa, municipal information officer.
    Killa said the family did not ask for anything in return for demolition of their house but the local government headed by     Mayor Jerome “Chagsen” Tudlong, Jr., is doing everything to address the situation.
    The collapsed road, Killa, added, is part of the Bontoc Poblacion-Guinaang provincial road.
    The Langpawen family has shown willingness to relocate to the house of Rudy’s father in Favrey, Guina-ang.
While their house is being demolished and until they move to the new location, the family's belongings are temporarily stored in the house of a relative of Kimberly.
    The road cut has isolated the communities of Mainit and Guina-ang, forcing residents to walk some 50 meters before transferring to a vehicle to reach the town proper. 
    Following rapid damage assessment and needs analysis (RDANA) conducted by a team led by Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Johanna Padaen and Bontoc chief of police Pedro Tactay on July 31, immediate relief operations were promptly initiated in affected areas.
    Mayor Tudlong, Jr., personally led distribution of family and shelter kits from the Office of Civil Defense – Cordillera Administrative Region through the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, five hygiene kits from Dept. of Health Cordillera through the provincial DOH, three sacks of 50-kg rice, two sacks of 25-kg rice, two boxes of sleeping kits from the Dept. of Social Welfare and Development Office Cordillera and 24 pieces of canned goods, four packs of oatmeal and two family food packs from the Bontoc local government through the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
    Tudlong cited importance of working together as a community to address challenges like disasters.
    He called for unity and cooperation to ensure safety and well-being of all residents.
    The mayor expressed gratitude to various agencies and organizations for their support in the relief operations.
    The Bontoc Emergency Operations Center continues to monitor the situation to provide assistance and support as needed until the road is repaired and situation in the affected areas return to nornal.