CONTINUED SEARCH. Backhoe operators dig through Sitio Mabuhay in Barangay San Luis, Malitbog, Bukidnon in search of five landslide victims on Oct. 17, 2022. Two more bodies were retrieved on Saturday (Oct. 22, 2022), leaving just one missing. (Courtesy of the Bukidnon PDRRMO)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Only one of five landslide victims in Malitbog, Bukidnon remains missing as two more bodies were retrieved on Saturday, five days after the incident.
In a radio interview, rescuer Jerel dela Cruz of the Malitbog Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said Lucresio Lauronal, 54, and Nerio Talines, 50, a backhoe operator, were recovered from the landslide site in Sitio Mabuhay, Barangay San Luis.
The first body found on October 18 was of Jordan Achas, 30, followed by 52-year-old Angelita, wife of Lauronal, the following day.
Raffy Simprota, 34, has yet to be found.
They were buried when a portion of the mountain slope in Barangay San Luis eroded on Monday after a heavy downpour.
Except for the couple, all three were workers of the municipal engineering office, which was conducting clearing operations at the time of the incident.
"As instructed by the Mayor (Gary Casiño), we will not stop the search and retrieval operations until the remaining victim is found," dela Cruz said.
Northern Mindanao’s Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said 14,471 individuals, or 4,166 families, were affected by the inclement weather here and in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental. (PNA)
