Sacred Sanctuary

The village of Guinsaugon in St. Bernard town of Southern Leyte has been declared a sacred sanctuary. Let us pray for the souls of the people who perished in the February 17 landslide. The rescue operations have already been called off and it is estimated that around a thousand people perished in the village.

From the very start, rescuers were saying it is highly improbable that survivors will be rescued after days of being trapped under 5 to 30 feet of dried mud, boulders, and other debris. But they still went on with the rescue efforts despite the risks involved. The report of a live chicken being rescued after 6 days of being trapped in a buried house gave hope of finding human survivors. Sadly it turned out to be a false hope.

Maybe this tragedy will serve as a lesson for government authorities or even residents of landslide prone areas to be more cautious, especially now that “La Nina” is now making her presence felt in the country.