The Sipalay City government issued a warning to the public on Friday, Oct. 17, to stay out of a cordoned-off section of a collapsed mountain slope in Camp Valdez, Barangay Mambaroto, where cracks have been discovered.
Authorities are currently investigating whether the damage was caused by the magnitude 4.2 earthquake that shook Iloilo and parts of Negros Occidental on Wednesday, Dionilo Bogtae, City Disaster Risk Reduction Management coordinator, said.
“We want to inform everybody that we cordoned off the area for public safety,” a notice posted on the Sipalay City Facebook page on Friday said.
The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) has declared the area unstable due to the high risk of a landslide occurring at any moment, it said.
Bogtae said that personnel from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) first discovered the cracks in the mountain slope and ground movement on Thursday while they were cleaning a drainage canal.
A surveying team later confirmed the presence of a crack approximately 80 centimeters long and 3 meters deep, he said.
Markings have been placed to monitor for any progression in the earth movement, Bogtae said.
The city has also asked the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to help determine the cause of the incident.
Some families have been identified to be living in the danger zone and have been advised to implement precautionary measures.
While the road in the area remains passable, Bogtae warned that the danger of a landslide significantly increases if it rains.*