(Contributed photo by Kevin Sanchez)
The road leading to Mountainview Resort, Lantaw Restaurant and Temple of Leah in Barangay Busay, Cebu City has been blocked by debris following a landslide in the area on Monday evening, September 25.
According to Busay councilman Kevin Sanchez, the chairman of the Barangay disaster committee, the riprap made of stones leading to the popular tourist spots in the area collapsed and debris like earth and stones have blocked the road.
“It is not passable anymore. We also can’t easily clear the area for now because there’s a lot of debris,” he told Cebu Daily News in a phone interview.
He said they started observing the soil eroding at around 5 P.M. on Monday. This prompted barangay officials to cordon the area and put yellow caution tapes in the area.
It was at 9:40 P.M. when the stone riprap started crumbling down.
Later on, at around 10:15 P.M., he said more soil eroded.
Just around 11:20 P.M., Sanchez said more portions of the riprap continued falling and blocking the road and they still cannot start clearing the area since the soil is still moving.
He said this was also the advice of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CCDRRMO).
He added that they can only start clearing when the rain stops.
Sanchez said they will be asking the help of City Hall and the CCDRRMO in clearing the road later on since they need payloaders and dump trucks to remove the debris.
While some residents and employees of the hilltop establishments were able to go home and pass by the road before 5 P.M., Sanchez said some were still in the establishments when the road was completely blocked.
He said they advised the management of the establishments to use their own shuttles and take the longer but only alternative route passing through Barangay Malubog and Bonbon in going back to the city’s lower areas.