Fallen trees, logs, debris pile up in Agoncillo, Batangas after Kristine landslide

The provincial government of Batangas on Sunday said it will no longer allow residents of a landslide-hit area in Agoncillo town to return to their homes as they will be relocated to a permanent site, following the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (international name: Trami).

The landslide, caused by the continuous rains brought by Kristine, is said to be the worst in the history of the municipality, with over 2,000 evacuees in eight evacuation centers in the area. Nine were reported to have died from the landslide, while five others remain missing.

According to Agoncillo mayor Cindy Valenton Reyes, the municipality implemented preemptive evacuation, but they did not expect the scope of the storm. More residents were reported to have fled their homes on Sunday morning,

“Ang akala po namin ay ‘yung normal lang ba bagyo at hindi pa naman po nagkakaroon sa history po ng ating bayan na ganoon katindi na landslide,” she said in a report by Darlene Cay on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” on Sunday.

(What we thought was that the storm would be normal. We never had a landslide so severe in the history of our municipality.)

The landslide hit on Wednesday evening. The road connecting the towns of Agoncillo and Laurel was also destroyed. Fallen trees, logs, and debris continue to be scattered around the area with no power and running water.

The municipality is now appealing for assistance, and for relief goods including food items such as rice, and drinking water.

Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas denied that the floods that hit areas near the Taal Lake were not due to quarrying, and said the felled trees were possibly uprooted by the storm.

He also said the government will provide temporary shelter for the landslide-hit residents who remain in evacuation centers, as it looks for a permanent relocation site.

Kristine exited the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Friday, and has since intensified into a typhoon.

The state weather bureau is also monitoring Tropical Storm Leon (international name: Kong-Rey), which has slightly intensified over the Philippine Sea, and may continue to influence the Southwesterly Windflow triggered by Trami. This may then affect the Visayas, Mindanao, and the western section of Southern Luzon. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA Integrated News