CHERRY HILL SUBDIVISION LANDSLIDE
On 3 August 1999 a devastating landslide occurred in Cherry Hills subdivision,
Antipolo City, Rizal Province, which killed 60 people and displaced hundreds of
families. Heavy rains induced by Typhoon Ising (international name, Olga)
triggered the landslide. Ising developed from an active low-pressure area on 28
July and intensified into a Typhoon. It did not directly hit the Philippines but
continuous monsoon rains were experienced over the western sections of Luzon
displacing more than 73,000 people. As many as 109 people died in the
Philippines due to Typhoon Ising with Manila, Pampanga, Rizal and Pangasinan as
the worst hit areas (Lopez, 1999).
The Cherry Hills landslide in Rizal is attributed to many compounding factors.
These are: 1) the effects of 3 consecutive days of continuous rainfall (Aurelio,
2004) that led to water saturation and buildup of pore pressure on the slide
surface; 2) strength degradation of the sedimentary layers underlying the
mountain due to shrinkage cracking and expansion from prolonged water
saturation; 3) intense fracturing of the rock mass due to its proximity to the
Binangonan Fault; 4) unfavorable 8° dip angle of the rock layers to the southwest
and; 5) destablization of slopes due to large cuts made by quarrying operations
prior to the development of the Cherry Hills subdivision. The combined effects of
natural and man-made conditions lead to instability of the slopes where the
subdivision was built, which was triggered to collapse by continuous heavy
monsoon rains following an El-Niño year.
On the night of August 3, 1999, a massive landslide occurred in Cherry Hills
subdivision in Antipolo, Rizal province, Philippines that resulted to about 60 death
toll and 378 houses buried.[1][2] The landslide was primarily caused by the heavy
rains of the approaching typhoon Olga. The subdivision became a death trap
when its foundations was filled with water and the whole complex slid down the
hill on which it was built.
2006 SOUTHERN LEYTE MUDSLIDE
A rockslide-debris avalanche occurred at 10:26 am on 17 February 2006 in
Southern Leyte, Philippines (Lagmay et al., 2006). This large-scale landslide
devastated the village of Guinsaugon, with a population of 1,857 (NDCC, 2006).
Twenty survivors were rescued from the front edge of the debris field within
hours of the disaster, but the majority of the village’s population was believed to
have been buried by the avalanche.
The landslide has a planform area of 3,324,400 million square meters, a maximum
width of 1.52 kilometers, and a distance of 4.1 kilometers from crown to toe.
Independent reports place the volume of the deposit at 15–20 million cubic
meters (Lagmay et al., 2006) and 21 million cubic meters (Araiba, in Suwa, 2006).
Based on the duration of the telephone calls and the extent of the landslide
deposit, the avalanche is estimated to have traveled with a velocity of about 100
kilometers per hour.
hree factors are suspected of having triggered the avalanche. First is the excessive
amount of rain that fell in the days before the disaster, even though the landslide
happened on a sunny morning. Multi-satellite precipitation analysis from the
NASA-JAXA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission reported that 500 millimeters of
rain fell on Southern Leyte between 4 and 7 February. The Philippine
Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA)
rainfall station at Otikon, located seven kilometers southwest of the landslide
head, recorded 683.6 millimeters from 8–14 February. The highest amount of
rainfall over this duration was 171 millimeters, recorded on 12 February (Lagmay
et al., 2006).
Second is an earthquake that occurred in Southern Leyte on 17 February 2006.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) recorded a 2.6
magnitude (Ms) earthquake 21 kilometers west of Guinsaugon at 10:35:30.99,
using seven of its unmanned satellite-telemetered seismic stations (PHIVOLCS,
2006a; 2006b). An earthquake was also recorded by the United States Geological
Survey (USGS) at 10:36:32.59 (PDE-W 2006), about two kilometers north of the
landslide, at a depth of 35 kilometers, and with a magnitude (Mb) of 4.3 (USGS,
2006). Records obtained from the F-net broadband seismograph network
established and operated by the National Research Institute for Earth Science and
Disaster Prevention, Japan, measured the occurrence of ground motion at 10:37.
Yamanaka (2006) interprets this record of ground motion as the Rayleigh wave
generated by the landslide event.
Third is deformation of the slope prior to the landslide. Accounts described by
Suwa (2006) indicate that the slope had been experiencing deformation due to
creep. This phase of creep motion may have developed from secondary to tertiary
creep at the end of 2005 or in early 2006.
By 28 February 2006, 139 bodies had been recovered from the landslide—56 have
been identified and 83 remain unidentified. Two victims died in hospital, out of
the 33 treated for injuries. The number listed as missing and presumed dead is
980 (NDCC, 2006). The remaining residents of the village were not in the area at
the time of the disaster. In total, the official number of fatalities is 1,221 (Lagmay,
2008).
LARGE SINKHOLE IN BOHOL
TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines—Close to 100 sinkholes have been discovered in
nine towns and one city in Bohol after the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that shook
the province on Oct. 15.
Environment officials said not all of the sinkholes posed dangers to the public as
long as no houses were built over them.
In Poblacion Uno village in the capital Tagbilaran City, however, 200 families were
asked to leave their homes, as the structures were built on the roof of a sinkhole.
A sinkhole is a vacuum or cavern beneath the ground or topsoil waiting for an
occurrence (earthquake or heavy rain) to rupture.
Bohol Gov. Edgar Chatto said a team from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau
(MGB) was assessing the sinkholes to determine which ones posed a threat to the
public.
The eight-member team is using a ground-penetrating radar to map the island for
sinkholes.
Chatto said the mapping would be completed by the first quarter of 2014 and
then the team would decide whether there was need for engineering
intervention.
“Don’t worry. Bohol is a very safe place to stay,” Chatto told reporters on Friday.
“Makinig tayo sa mga scientists and experts (Let us listen to the scientists and
experts).”
The sinkholes were found by the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources in Central Visayas (DENR-7) in: Tagbilaran City and the towns of
Baclayon, Corella, Alburquerque, Panglao, Dauis, Balilihan, Batuan, Loon and
Carmen.
Ed Llamedo, DENR-7 information officer, said these sinkholes had been existing as
long as 5.3 million years ago but only surfaced after the strong earthquake on Oct.
15 that killed more than 200 persons and destroyed or damaged P5 billion worth
of infrastructure, churches, and public and private structures.
Llamedo urged local officials to implement force evacuation, monitor the
sinkholes, put up road signs for sinkholes and cordon off exposed sinkholes.
Filling the sinkholes with cement will only be advisable after the MGB team gets a
complete picture of the sinkhole below, he added.
Llamedo explained that their radar can produce an image indicating the diameter,
depth, cave pillar and extent of the sinkholes.
The DENR issued a Geohazard Threat Advisory on Oct. 28, recommending the
preemptive evacuation of 200 families whose houses were built on the cave roof
of the sinkhole found in Poblacion Uno in Tagbilaran City. The sinkhole already ate
up an interior road.
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A SEA SINKHOLE IN LEGAZPI
LEGAZPI CITY, Albay – A sinkhole was spotted near the shore of Barangay
Casabangan, Pio V. Corpuz town in Masbate province, purportedly created after a
6.6 magnitude quake struck the province on Tuesday morning.
Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) Bicol Information Officer Gremil Naz confirmed
that residents discovered the sinkhole, and later reported it to authorities.
“Sa Pio V. Corpuz yun, papunta na po ang team ng MGB (Mines and Geosciences
Bureau), DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) at iba pang
concerned agencies para i-assess yung nadiskubreng sinkhole,” he said.
A sea intrusion or a flooding caused by “subsidence by liquefaction or fault
movement and high tide” was reported in Barangay Matayum, Cataingan,
Masbate – a coastal barangay located near the epicenter of the strong quake.
Landslide was also recorded in Barangay Bogtong in Pio V. Corpuz town, Naz said.
Naz said the estimated cost of damage brought by the strong quake in Masbate
was at P23.96 million.
He said that the estimated cost was based on the Department of Public Works
and Highways (DPWH) Bicol’s assessment on damaged roads and government
buildings.
“Yun pong estimated damage cost at ayon naman po sa assessment ng DPWH
Regional Office 5 kung saan may mga nai-record na sira sa mga kalsada,
government buildings at iba pa. Ayon naman po sa DepEd Bicol, mayroong 19
public schools ang nasira dala ng malakas na lindol,” he explained.
Naz also said that at least 61 houses were damaged by the strong quake, of
which, 26 were totally damaged, and 35 partially damaged.
“Nasa 11 po na pamilya o kaya 40 na indibidwal ang nasa evacuation center sa
ngayon dahil na nga po nasira yung mga bahay o kaya yung iba takot sa bumalik
sa mga bahay nila dahil sa patuloy na nangyayaring aftershock,” he said.
Naz confirmed that all roads were passable for all kinds of vehicles in the
province.
After being hit by a 6.6 magnitude quake and some residents in Cataingan town
were left homeless, Naz explained.
He also said strict health protocols were still being observed by families which
were taken to evacuation centers.
Meanwhile, Malacañang assured residents of Masbate that help is forthcoming
but reminded them to still observe social distancing if they are staying in
evacuation centers.
