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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Luzon devider DILG unit clarifies number of fatalities in Masara landslide

DILG unit clarifies number of fatalities in Masara landslide

Published Feb 20, 2024 06:14 am

DAVAO CITY – The Management of the Dead and Missing (MDM) Unit of the Department of Interior and Local Government has clarified the confusion on the seemingly inconsistent data of the dead and missing persons in the massive landslide in Barangay Masara, Maco, Davao de Oro two weeks ago.

MACO BURIAL.jpg

FOURTEEN landslide victims are buried in a cemetery in Maco, Davao de Oro. (PIO Davao de Oro)

Based on the report released by the local government of Maco on February 15, the number of retrieved bodies from the landslide site was at 92 with 36 still missing as of 7 p.m. on February 15.

But 24 hours later, the missing persons drastically dropped from 36 to 18 but the number of bodies only rose by four to 96.

MDM Unit spokesperson Lea Añora said that the changes in the number of missing persons can be attributed to the swift post-mortem examination by the National Bureau of Investigation-Disaster Victim Identification (NBI-DVI).

Once families have immediately identified the missing persons, Añora said that they will be immediately crossed out from the missing list.

Many families of the reported missing persons are on standby outside funeral homes and ready to identify their family members.

She added that the list of missing persons is based on the police blotter. “The MDM also asked family members to point out recognizable features of the missing family members.”

On February 17, the local government reported that the number of missing persons was nine while the number of fatalities was 98.

The following day, the number of missing persons dropped to eight but the fatalities remained at 98.

Transient workers

Many of the fatalities were said to be workers of Apex Mining Company Inc. (AMCI).

Masara, a barangay with over 1,000 families,  is one of the host communities of AMCI that holds a gold and silver mining contract under the Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA).

Former Davao de Oro Gov. Arturo Uy, in an online radio interview, bared that many of the fatalities are transient workers of the mining firm.

Uy added that many residents left Masara when it was declared a no-build zone following the landslide in 2008.

He said that about 200 families have been relocated to Barangay Kinuban, also in Maco.

“Many of them will just go to Masara to work and return to Kinuban and other areas at night. They have already settled in Kinuban,” said Uy, governor from 2007 to 2016. “It’s not true that the residents resettled in Masara.”

The provincial government is preparing relocation sites for displaced residents as many of them may no longer be allowed to return due to risk of landslides. 

Related Tags

Landslide Apex Mining Co. Inc. Maco Davao de Oro
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