Kin of missing Cebu landfill workers hope loved ones will be found alive after landslide

The families of the missing landfill workers in Barangay Binaliw in Cebu City are hoping that they would still be found alive following the deadly landslide that has killed 13 persons. 

In Mariz Umali’s report in “24 Oras” on Tuesday, some are waiting patiently near ground zero for updates. Among them is Joventino Odiong, whose son is among the 23 still missing. 

“Ang aking nararamdaman ngayon, sobrang sakit na ‘di makuha ang anak ko… Ako gusto ko, na umuwi ako kapag nakuha na ‘yung anak ko. ‘Pag di siya makuha, ‘di ako uuwi,” he said. 

(What I’m feeling right now is extreme pain because my son hasn’t been recovered yet… I will only go home only once my son is found. If he isn’t found yet, I won’t leave.) 

Meanwhile, Rhea Mabatid’s hope vanished after her older brother, a welder, was found dead in the debris. 

“Nag-chat ang aking ate. Tapos sabi ng ate ko tingnan ko raw doon, kaya pumunta ako doon, kami ng aking nakakatandang kapatid,” she said. 

(My older sister sent a message. Then she told me to go check there, so my other older sibling and I went to the site.) 

Rhea said that the news is more distressful to their father who just recently underwent surgery. 

“Bago lang naoperahan ang papa. Hindi niya alam ang nangyari, ang anak niya ay natabunan. Sakit sa dibdib. Kahit ako hindi ko alam,” she tearfully shared.

(Papa just recently had surgery. He doesn’t know what happened—that his son was buried [in the landslide]. It’s heartbreaking. Even I don’t know [how to handle it].) 

Authorities said that there are 500 personnel working in two shifts as the search and rescue operations continue round-the-clock in an area that has been divided into four quadrants to make the search operations easier. — Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News