ILOILO City – Days of rain led to a landslide in the uphill village of Igpigus in the municipality of Igbaras, Iloilo yesterday. No one was reported dead or injured but almost two dozen houses were damaged, 12 of which completely covered by earth.
Mayor Vicente Escorpion estimated that the landslide at around 1 a.m. in Sitio Rumbang – around 10 kilometers from the town proper – covered some 20 hectares.
Before that, the villagers heard what sounded like a blast, said the mayor.
Twenty-two houses were damaged, 12 of which were buried, Escorpion said, citing a report from Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office chief Wilfredo Delgado who led the inspection.
The local government suspected that three days of continued rains softened and eroded the earth in Igpigus.
Escorpion estimated the number of affected families at 22.
Seven families (29 individuals) evacuated to the barangay hall while the other 15 moved to their relatives’ place, he said.
“Wala sang injuries and wala death (There were no injuries or deaths),” stressed the local chief executive.
According to Igpigus village chief John Noe Tacan, the erosion of the earth in Sitio Rumbang lasted four hours – from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.
But all residents in the area have evacuated by around 3 a.m., Tacan told Panay News. He said he himself was there.
Some villagers were alarmed after hearing a “blast,” prompting them to call on their neighbors to leave the area.
“Ang tanan nga panimalay ginpangsingganan sila nga mag-amat-amat evacuate,” said Tacan. “Ang iban nga mga malayo ginpang-contact paagi sa cellphone.”
According to Escorpio, the locals already anticipated the incident.
In 2017 the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region 6 found a crack spanning one kilometer from Igpigus toward its boundary with Barangay Navillan, Tubungan town.
“Nakapreparar na kami (We have prepared for this),” said the mayor.
Igbaras comprises 46 of mostly uphill barangays.
Ninety percent of these villages are landslide-prone, Escorpion said, citing the MGB’s geohazard mapping.
Locals fear a landslide might also occur in Barangay Tigbanaba where the MGB also found a one-kilometer crack last year.
“Sa Barangay Tigbanaba may amo man na nga sitwasyon, ginabantayan man ina namon,” said Escorpion.
Seven families (45 individuals) from Sitio Cabaoy – a hamlet downhill from Rumbang – also evacuated yesterday after finding cracks on the earth where their houses were built.
“Wala naguba ang ila balay but apektado sila kay may litik-litik na (ang duta),” the mayor said.
After the incident, the Provincial Engineering Office led by Engr. Gras Lucero went to Igpigus to conduct an assessment for a possible engineering intervention.
But Escorpion said the road leading to the barangay was still passable so there was no need for any heavy equipment for clearing.
Personnel from the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office also rushed to the town to distribute relief goods to the affected families, said Escorpion. (With a report from Ian Paul Cordero/PN)
