Search, rescue and retrieval units recovered on Friday, Jan. 19, the remains of three more fatalities from a landslide that hit a mountainous village in Monkayo, Davao de Oro which raised the death toll to 10.
Citing data from the Monkayo Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), the Monkayo local government unit (LGU) said that the bodies of Elvira Saldua, Agnes Bitoon, and Ritchell Rebuldad were recovered underneath the mixture of debris, mud, and soil at 1:31 p.m., 12:23 p.m., and 11:30 a.m. respectively.
Meanwhile, Monkayo police chief Lt. Col. Jerry T. Cabag identified the first seven fatalities as Catherine Gumatin, 36; Romel Gumatin Jr., 1; Dyana Gumatin, 3; Cristelle Gumatin, 9; Hannah Gumatin, 10; Ailee Gumatin, 12; and Marjomie Neñara, 35. All were residents of Purok 19, Pag-Asa, Brgy. Mt. Diwata, Monkayo, Davao De Oro.
According to police, the landslide occured around 5:10 p.m. Thursday amid a prayer worship held by members of the Assembly of God Church in one of the houses in the area.
The area was drenched due to the non-stop downpour brought by shearline, or the convergence of the cold northeast monsoon and warm winds which triggers rains.
Suddenly, big boulders of rocks and wet soil started coming down from the mountain which buried the victims.
Despite the bad weather due to the effects of the shearline, responders continued their search, rescue and retrieval operations to find one more missing person.
The incident also critically injured a one-year-old infant identified as Amara Dilola.
270K individuals affected by shearline
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the flooding and landslides due to bad weather caused by the prevailing shearline in Davao Region (Region 11) and Caraga (Region 13) have already affected 70,862 families or 270,206 individuals.
Of this, a total of 9,984 families were displaced, with 4,217 of them staying in evacuation centers while 5,767 others were at their relatives' or friends' house.
OCD Administrator Undersec. Ariel Nepomuceno said that the municipalities of Asuncion in Davao de Norte; Sta Josefa, Loreto, and Veruele in Agusan del Sur were placed under a state of calamity due to massive flooding.
"A total of P6.5 million worth of assistance has been provided by the government to the affected families so far," he said.