Landslide blocks Manipis road in Talisay mountain barangay

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A landslide hit a mountain barangay in Talisay City, Cebu on the early hours of Wednesday morning, October 2.

While the residents were sleeping inside their homes, a portion of the cliff along the Manipis road in Camp 4 collapsed and covered the road at past 1:00 a.m. today. 

Jonathan Tumulak, head of City of Talisay Traffic Operations and Development Authority (CT-TODA), said that the incident was reported by a barangay tanod who lived close to the area.

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By the time authorities arrived, the entire road was covered in soil and debris that could fill up more than 100 dump trucks.

According to Tumulak, the heavy rainfall and strong winds in the city at past 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 1, may have caused the landslide.

He added that this was the second time that a landslide occurred in the area, which is adjacent to residences, after a similar incident earlier this year.

Hours after the landslide, the clearing operation is still ongoing and authorities are unable to give an exact time on when the road will be open for the public again.

As of this writing, CT-TODA has not received any reports of injuries caused by the incident.

Nevertheless, they continue to assess the area to ensure that there were no affected motorists or houses.

Due to the landslide, the Manipis road connecting Talisay City and Toledo City has become inaccessible for motorists.

Tumulak said that it would likely remain closed for days even after the clearing operation finishes.

He explained that they would need to get clearance from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to ensure that it would be safe to use again.

In the meantime, motorists are advised to stop at Brgy. Mandugo, Toledo City.

They are instructed to use the only alternative route, which is the road in Brgy. Uling, Naga City, to get to their destinations.

Tumulak said that enforcers and local government units will be monitoring to stop any possible entrance to the affected area.

In addition, tarpaulins will be set up by the Toledo government in order to warn motorists.

While authorities are making sure that the Manipis road is safe for public use again, Tumulak urged the citizens to always consider their safety first.

“Ato gyung unahon ang atong seguridad so ato silang awhagon nga moadto lang sa moagi sa Uling, Naga road mentras nga dili pa gyud nato maclear nga luwas na ang maong lugar. Unya awhagon nato sila nga sila mismo mohimo na sad og mga plano aron dili sad kaayo sila madungagan sa ilang gasto,” he said.

(We should put first our safety so we encourage them to pass through the Uling Road in Naga while the area has not been cleared and safe to pass yet. We encourage the that they should plan their trips so that their spending (on fuel for their vehicles and their efforts) would not be wasted.)| with a report from Paul Lauro