The Antipolo City local government on Wednesday, Oct. 4, announced that it had already distributed land and other financial and construction assistance to the 22 families that were affected bythe landslide that killed a woman and her dog in Barangay Sta. Cruz last July 16.
(Photo from Antipolo LGU)
Antipolo City Mayor Jun Ynares said the victims have now been transferred to nearby lots in Vista Grande.
"Sagot na din ang mga materyales na gagamitin sa pagtatayo ng kani-kanilang mga bahay. Bukod sa pambili ng mga materyales, sila-sila ang mga kasalukuyang nagtatayo ng kani-kanilang mga tahanan pero may sweldo silang matatanggap mula sa Cash-for-Work program ng pamahalaan. Higit sa lahat, sa kanila na din ang pag-aari ng mga lote kung saan itinatayo ang kanilang mga bagong tahanan. Libre lahat ito at walang babayaran (Aside from shouldering the money needed in buying the materials, the city government is also paying their salaries as they themselves are the ones handling the construction of their new homes as part of Antipolo's Cash-for-Work program)," Ynares said.
"Siniguro na rin po natin sa Meralco at Manila Water na mahahatiran at makakabitan sila ng electrical at water services (We also asked Meralco and Manila Water to ensure the continuous delivery of electrical and water services to the families)," he added.
The mayor expressed his gratitude to the City Engineers for clearing the area and for providing the needed guidance in the construction of the houses. He also thanked the property owner where the wall fell on the victims' houses during the landslide and its contractor for providing financial assistance to them and their cooperation with the city government in bringing back the victims' lives to normalcy.
Barangay Sta. Cruz Chairperson Cirilio Tenorio said that the wall collapsed at around 7 p.m. due to the heavy downpour in the area. He said residents heard a loud explosion before the wall came crashing down while the second portion of the wall collapsed after 30 minutes, which allowed residents to safely evacuate from the area.
But 41-year-old Dina Saban died when she tried to save her pet dog from their house as the wall came crashing down.
Tenorio explained that the victim was cooking when the incident happened. Upon hearing the first explosion, she hurriedly evacuated her niece from their house and went back to save her dog.
Barangay officials and rescuers from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) rushed to the site to conduct the rescue operation.
The bodies of Saban and her dog were recovered after three hours due to the thick mud.