MARIBOJOC, Bohol, Philippines — Following the recent rain-induced landslide in this town that claimed the lives of two children, the Region 7 office of the Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau (MGB) cited Wednesday several mitigating measures to reduce the damage of such incidents.

Late last month, a family was trapped inside a makeshift house located in an abandoned quarry site in Barangay Lincod after a landslide occurred in the area. According to the MGB7 report, the incident was the third slope failure in the area.

MGB7 Information Officer Eddie Llamedo said the incident could have been prevented if before the abandonment of the mine site the operator was able to plant deep-rooting tree species along the barren slopes on the uplands as these would have minimized the erosive effects of surface runoff.

Llamedo said for roads affected by localized landslide/slope failure, appropriate signages should be put in place to warn motorists and pedestrians of danger from falling debris.

“Benching during the operation should also be practiced while continuous monitoring for further ground crack development in the landslide affected area must be observed,” he said.

He also said the abandoned quarry site should have been rehabilitated and restored.

“The slopes should be in a safer inclination before total abandonment,” Llamedo said.

He pointed out that the local government unit should have checked the place while the area should have been declared as non-buildable zone.

Moreover, MGB7 recommends that local ordinance on the observance of easement zones from vulnerable areas with the corresponding fees for non-compliance should also be strictly implemented.