GUIHULNGAN, Negros Oriental, Philippines — The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) 7 sent a team of geologists and mining engineers to conduct a field investigation on the reported landslide incident in Barangay Planas, Guihulngan, Negros Oriental after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the Visayas last Tuesday.

Information gathered by said MGB 7 team, it revealed that Sitio Moog, Barangay Planas has been rated as moderate landslide susceptibility on its rain-induced geological assessment. This is the same area where an earthquake-induced landslide occurred.

The MGB-7, in an earlier March 14, 2009 assessment report, described the area as an old landslide located on the foot slope of landslide-affected area and recommended monitoring of progress of mass movement which includes landslides and tension cracks.

In 2009, MGB-7 completed rain-induced geological assessment of all Central Visayas barangays with corresponding landslide or flood susceptibility ratings of high, moderate or low.

It recommended in the same report that monitoring of sunken or displaced road surface be done and identification of relocation sites for residents living near landslide-prone areas.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) say that earthquakes or even aftershocks can trigger devastating landslides particularly in unstable regions including hillsides or mountain areas.

MGB 7 Regional Director Loreto B. Alburo has already deployed a team composed of Senior Science Research Specialist Abraham R. Lurero Jr. and Mining Engineers III Edgar C. Lagarnia and Edward S. Malahay to check the area.