SWAMPED. The Pilar village in Abuyog, Leyte swamped by a landslide in this April 13, 2022 photo. Residents in landslide-hit villages in Abuyog town will have to stay in evacuation centers for up to three months before moving to a resettlement site, the local government said on Wednesday (April 20, 2022). (Photo courtesy of Rep. Carl Cari)
TACLOBAN CITY – Residents in landslide-hit villages in Abuyog, Leyte will have to stay in evacuation centers for up to three months before moving to a resettlement site, the local government said on Wednesday.
Since landslide survivors are no longer allowed to return to their old community in Pilar village, they must wait for the construction of temporary shelters before leaving the evacuation centers, according to Mayor Lemuel Gin Traya on Wednesday.
“During his visit in Baybay City last April 15, President Rodrigo Duterte promised us that the government will finance the construction of temporary resettlement and permanent relocation. We have already identified the site,” Traya told reporters.
The relocation site is still in Pilar village, but situated on the opposite side, identified by experts as a safe site for resettlement.
At least 99 families have been identified by the local government unit as the beneficiaries of a housing project in Abuyog.
“The President wants to fast track the project since he has only two months left in office. He ordered Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Eduardo del Rosario to make this housing project a priority,” Traya added.
While waiting for the permanent shelter, residents will stay in a temporary relocation site, a three-hectare lot donated by the mayor’s family, and will be trained in various livelihood skills.
On April 12, a major landslide wiped out 80 percent of Pilar village after days of heavy rains dumped by Tropical Depression Agaton.
A total of 139 houses in Pilar village were destroyed by the landslide, affecting more than 470 residents.
A total of 48 bodies have already been retrieved in Pilar while 55 remained missing as of April 19.
The mayor said that years before the tragedy, residents of Pilar village are fully aware that their community is vulnerable to landslides.
Some residents transferred to safer areas, but the majority remained in the location since it is closer to fishing grounds.
Before the landslide, most residents evacuated to safer grounds.
Some returned to their home to check on their properties and cook food just hours when the landslide hit the village. (PNA)
