Ifugao cries the loudest over Itogon landslide dead

BAGUIO, Philippines – The mountain falling down in Ucab was heard from a kilometer but the cries were heard 200 kms. away.

Most of the 59 who died in Ucab, Itogon, because of the huge mountainslide – including the 12 missing – from 12 days ago were from Ifugao province.

Hingyon, a town in Ifugao, has about 40 dead in the Ucab landslide. The other towns with big casualties are Banaue and Lagawe. Some of the Ifugao who later migrated to Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela, and Cagayan also perished in the landslide.

And their homecoming was the most painful for their province mates.

Ifugao Gov. Pedro G. Mayam-o rushed from Ifugao when President Duterte came to Baguio wanting to announce that no one in Ifugao died during the typhoon only to learn that his provincemates were killed in the Ucab landslide.

“Our ancestors handed to us a tradition where we share in the grief of our kailian. I am here to share with their grief and to check on the welfare of my people,” he said.

“They were small-scale miners while others were laborers. They are there to earn a living as miners and others to be employed even as contractuals,” said Mayor Victorio Palangdan of Itogon, Benguet.

When Benguet Corporation stopped operations, Ucab was separated into provinces so there was a portion for Kalinga, Mountain Province, Benguet, and Ifugao.

The Ifugao side was the one hit by the massive landslide.

Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat Jr. had the role this time to accompany some of the dead to Ifugao.

A fundraising he started in Manila has so far reached P500,000.

He earlier talked to the survivors in Ucab and consulted them about the livelihood they wanted to pursue aside from mining. – Rappler.com