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Survivors´ Tales

Natonin is a mountainous forested town that for the longest time had been free from the threats of landslides. For those who survived, the tragedy that took the lives of at least 18 people is as incomprehensible as it is harrowing.

By RAFFY TIMA, GMA News
November 12, 2018

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JR AMON WAS A MERE 20 METERS away from the Department of Public Works and Highways´ 2nd Engineering District Office in Natonin, Mountain Province, when he saw what he could only describe as a scene straight out of a movie. 

A boulder the size of a small car came tumbling down the mountain, heading directly toward the four-story building he had come out of minutes before.

It happaned at about 4:30 p.m. on October 30, a date he says he will never forget.

JR was a laborer, a member of a construction firm working on an extension of the DPWH building in Barangay Banawel, in the outskirts of the town.  

All work came to a halt as they waited for Typhoon Rosita to pass. Days prior, local authorities have already warned that Rosita will be a strong typhoon. JR and his co-workers decided it will be safer to stay at the building rather than their bunk house.

Being a huge structure, the DPWH office was also the refuge of choice for laborers from other laborers from another construction firm working on another part of the building.

Several civilians from four neighboring houses also chose to stay at the building.

On that fateful day, JR decided to go out of the building to help a neighboring store owner, who was having trouble dealing with rainwater that was going inside her store. That small moment of neighborly kindness ended up saving his life.

Laborers and residents in Barangay Banawel, in Natonin, Mt. Province sought refuge in a DPWH building they thought would keep them safe from Typhoon Rosita. A powerful landslide, however, ended up destroying the building and most of the other nearby structures and roads. Raffy Tima
Ground zero of the landslide in Barangay Banawel, Natonin, Mt. Province. This is the biggest of the more or less 100 landslides along the national highway blocking access from either side to this site. The first group of rescuers had to walk six to eight hours to reach the site. Raffy Tima
Morning in Barangay Banawel in Natonin, Mountain Province, days after landslides brought about by Typhoon Rosita changed the landscape of the town. Raffy Tima
On the scene: the GMA News team led by Raffy Tima was among the first groups to reach Natonin, Mountain Province after the deadly landslide, but only after walking some seven to eight hours to reach ground zero.
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In-depth special reports and features showcasing
the best multimedia storytelling from GMA Integrated News.
In-depth special reports and features showcasing the best multimedia storytelling from GMA Integrated News.