Christmas Eve landslide kills 2
Soldiers of the 10th Infantry Battalion also assisted the local government units and Disaster Risk Reduction Management Offices of Misamis Occidental in evacuating all affected residents
ZAMBOANGA CITY — The Joint Task Force ZamPeLan revealed on Thursday that a senior citizen and his daughter were buried alive in a landslide caused by heavy rainfall on Christmas Eve in Oroquieta City.
JTF-Z commander Brig. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete said that upon receipt of the report, soldiers of the JTF-Z immediately conducted a Search, Rescue and Retrieval operation which resulted in the recovery of the lifeless bodies of the father and daughter on Christmas day.
The victims were identified as Mario Sambio, 70 and his daughter Inday Calamian, both residents of Barangay Mialen, Oroquieta City.
Nafarrete said that soldiers of JTF-Z were all on alert status during the heavy downpour of rain caused by the shear line and are ready to provide Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response as rains flooded several areas in Misamis Occidental.
Soldiers of the 10th Infantry Battalion also assisted the local government units and Disaster Risk Reduction Management Offices of Misamis Occidental in evacuating all affected residents utilizing all available personnel and mobility assets.
Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development Regional Field Office 9 director Riduan P. Hadjimuddin said that soldiers have also transported 3,000 family food packs for the affected families.
Hadjimuddin added that family food packs were drawn from the DSWD Pagadian City field office located at P.L. Uro Street, Pagadian City and were delivered to Misamis Occidental Provincial Athletic Complex located in Barangay Luboc, Oroquieta City for immediate distribution to the affected families on Tuesday.
For his part. Armed Forces of the Philippines-Western Mindanao Command acting commander Brig. Gen. Arturo Rojas that the AFP will continue to support the local government in delivering assistance and providing protection not only during man-made disasters but also during natural calamities.
"We are here to reach out to families most affected by the storm in Misamis Occidental through the distribution of relief packs prepared by the DSWD and Office of the Civil Defense," Rojas said.