AFTER Friday’s landslide that left commuters stranded for hours in Manipis Road in southern Cebu, loose soil and rocks again crashed onto the perilous road link Monday evening, leaving two people, including a 16-year-old boy, who were passing through, hurt.
Cousins Lydon Seldas, 23, and Aldrin Bacus, 16, were on their way to Toledo City from work in Talisay on board their motorcycle when rain-soaked earth and rocks rolled down from the mountains, throwing them off their motorbike by at least a meter.
Bacus sustained major injuries on his left knee while Seldas was injured on both legs, according to Manipis barangay captain Emma Cabiluna. The two were immediately rushed to a hospital by a passing motorist.
“Na-timingan gyud to sila (It was really bad timing for them),” Cabiluna said of the landslide as this had become a common occurrence in Manipis, a notoriously dangerous road link prone to landslides for years.
Monday’s landslide also left a mound of soil and boulders blocking the part of Manipis road that connects Barangay Campo Siete in Minglanilla town with the mountain Barangay of Biga, Toledo City.
And as the soil from the mountaintop continued to erode yesterday afternoon, Cabiluna said signs have been placed at the entrance of Campo Siete warning motorists that the area will be temporarily inaccessible due to the road block.
Motorists were also advised by Cabiluna to take a diversion road passing through a river as she sought the help of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Talisay City Councilor Antonio Bacaltos, chairman of the Talisay City Council’s committee on environment.
Cabiluna called on officials to help solve the landslide problem once and for all as several commuters still opted to take Manipis road, the shortest link connecting the cities of Cebu and Toledo.
Most workers who go home from work especially those living in Barangay Campo Siete in Minglanilla town would take the Manipis route, Cabiluna said.
Talisay City Mayor Eduardo Gullas, meanwhile, said that he would call for a meeting with QM Builders, the private contractor working on the widening of Manipis Road, to help clear the road from fallen rocks and the piles of eroded soil.