The Office of Civil Defense in the Cordillera Administrative Region (OCD-CAR) has advised residents to be vigilant regarding oversaturated mountain soil, which may lead to landslides and rockslides.
“I-check po natin ang kapaligiran ng mga kabahayan natin para makita natin kung may mga gumuho at mga posible pang gumuho na lupa dahil basang-basa na po sa dami ng ulan na bumagsak sa atin (Let us check our surroundings to see if there are erosions or possible erosions, especially following the heavy amount of rainfall we have experienced),” stated Frankie Cortes, OCD-CAR operations chief, during a media interview.
Cortes noted that the region has recorded an average of 50 to 100 millimeters of rainfall even before Severe Tropical Storm Crising, which inundated many areas in Luzon over the weekend. State weather observer Mar Santos reported that the highest rainfall recorded during Crising was 181.6 millimeters.
Following Crising, the Cordillera Administrative Region, particularly Baguio and Benguet, has continued to experience intermittent heavy rains. Cortes mentioned that the region has already recorded nearly 40 incidents of landslides, rockslides, and soil collapses on mountains, affecting properties and blocking roads.
On Saturday, boulders rolled down the mountain along Kennon Road in Benguet amid heavy rains, crushing a house and a car. A landslide was also reported at the Dalican National High School campus in Bontoc, Mountain Province.
“Kapag may nakita po tayo na sa tingin natin lalaki ang problema kapag ‘di naaksyunan, ire-port kaagad at kung kinakailangan na mag-preemptive evacuation ay gawin iyon para ‘di tayo malagay sa alanganin (If we see anything which we think can exacerbate a problem if not acted upon, we should immediately report it, and if necessary, conduct pre-emptive evacuation to avoid putting ourselves in danger),” Cortes urged.