A hut sits near a massive crack in the ground of a mountain barangay in the City of Naga. | contributed photo via Futch Anthony Inso
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cracks found in a barangay in the City of Naga have prompted Mayor Valdemar Chiong to ask concerned agencies to inspect the area and to give the proper intervention to affected residents.
The cracks were found in Barangay Cantao-an, a mountain barangay of the southern Cebu component city.
Around 40 residents from Sitio Riverside Purok 1-B Upper and 1-A Lower in the said barangay were reportedly affected by the cracks.
Residents in the area blamed the ongoing Expressway Project of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) that starts from the mountainous area of Naga to Danao City.
According to Cantao-an Barangay Captain Christina Ababa before the project started, around 28 families were paid by the DPWH and were relocated. However, 24 families living near the riprap of the project, were still affected.
Currently, the barangay has prepared its covered court as an evacuation center for the affected families. They were also looking for another evacuation site to accommodate all affected families.
Chiong said that several families have already signed a waiver, expressing their intention to leave the area because of the cracks.
These land cracks are giving residents in a mountain barangay in Naga City some sleepless nights. | contributed photos via Futch Anthony Inso
One of the barangay’s residents, Rosena Candol, in an interview with DyHP-RMN Cebu, said that they were worried about their safety after the cracks were discovered in the area.
She said that they were afraid that a tragedy would happen, similar to the one that occurred in September 2018 wherein 70 individuals were buried alive in a landslide in Barangay Tinaan, where a quarry site was situated.
That tragedy was cited as one, if not the worst of its kind to happen in Cebu.
Mayor Chiong wants the DPWH to inspect the cracks and determine the best possible way to help the affected residents. /rcg
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