On the night of August 2, 1999, a massive landslide occurred in Cherry Hills subdivision in Antipolo, Rizal province, Philippines that resulted to about 60 deaths and 378 houses buried.[1][2] The landslide was primarily caused by the heavy rains associated with Typhoon Ising (Olga) and neglect by the developers and government officials in assessing the site's vulnerability to geohazards.
Cherry Hills subdivision was home to hundreds of families paying-off low cost, concretehouses. The subdivision was owned and developed by Tirso Santillan, president of Philippine-Japan Solidarity (Philjas) Corporation, which had previously been given a contract by the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) to develop the area by 1992 but was given an extension of up to March 1999 due to delays. Following complaints by lot buyers, an inspection by the HLURB had previously found that Philjas failed to follow the plan in its contract, including amenities such as landscaping, entrance gate and water tanks.[3]
TopographyEdit
The subdivision was located in Antipolo, Rizal and was situated in an elevated terrain cut along the perches of the Sierra Madre mountains. It was also flanked by two subdivisions on its sides. The eastern summit was at elevation of 255 meters while the western side was at elevation of 233 meters. The subdivision cut from the mountain side was approximately 26 meters at its deepest.[4]
The subdivision encompassed five hectares with paved roads. The subdivision consisted of light-roofed one or two-storey houses with hollow block wall construction that are either single-detached or row houses.[4]
EventEdit
Before the landslide, several residents started evacuating the area when cracks began manifesting on the walls of their houses. Tell-tale signs about a possible impending slide was rumored, and ominous signs of changes in elevation and ground movements were observed.[4] Three days before the landslide, rainfall measurements totaled 523.3 millimeters, equivalent to 120 days of normal rainfall during the rainy season, and was reported to have broken a 35-year record.[5] This was primarily due to the onslaught of Typhoon Ising (Olga) and its enhancement of the southwest monsoon.
On 3 August 1999, the landslide occurred as other residents were preparing to evacuate due to heavy rain, trapping them inside their homes as uphill houses and 45,000 cubic meters of mud, rocks, and concrete buried low-lying areas. At least 58 people died,[5] while 300 homes were destroyed[6] and 378 families were left homeless.[7]
InvestigationEdit
Philjas claimed that the landslide was trigged by excess rainwater that had seeped into Hill 255 and was aggravated by ground fissures caused by renovations done by residents, who in turn accused Philjas of using substandard materials. However, Philjas officials later acknowledged that quarrying by the company on a mountain that left a 20-foot high hanging wall made the site unstable and that they had failed to present a geohazard assessment before commencing construction. It was also later found that the subdivision was built on a 27% slope rather than the 15% claimed that Philjas.[8]
A study by geologists at the University of the Philippines also attributed the cause to the geological setting of the area, noting that its soil was oversaturated with water as it consisted of alternating porous and impervious rocks as well as a significant amount of clays "of probably the swelling type." They also cited the natural slope of the ground, sparse vegetation, and pre-existing fractures in the bedrock, and concluded that a geological survey could have avoided the event, which geologists said was probably not conducted to save on construction costs.[5] A further inspection by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau found that the site also did not have a proper drainage system and was vulnerable to ground slippage because of the dangerous slope to its west.[9]
An investigation by the Philippine Senate concluded that the disaster was not caused by force majeure, but occurred as a result of the negligence of Philjas and government agencies, which failed to enforce rules on the construction of low–cost housing. Among those named in its report were the HLURB and the Antipolo city government.[9]
AftermathEdit
In December 1999, the Office of the Ombudsman recommended the dismissal of five housing and environment officials for "gross neglect" and the suspension of 13 other housing, environment and city officials in relation to the disaster.[9]
In 2001, a court ordered the arrest of Philjas president Santillan, his general manager Hiroshi Ogawa, and assistant general manager Eleazar Rodriguez.[5] The charges were dismissed by the Antipolo prosecutor's office before it was reopened by the Justice Department in 2002. In 2004, Santillan and Rodriguez pleaded not guilty to charges of reckless imprudence, while Ogawa went into hiding, followed later by Rodriguez. As of 2011, the case had not yet been resolved.[9]
In 2002, the HLURB ordered Philjas to pay damages estimated at P89 million and return payments previously made by the residents.[5] Philjas then gave each family P15,000, and another P10,000 to those who lost a member.[9]
The disaster led the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to issue an administrative order in 2000 requiring developers of housing projects and other infrastructure projects to conduct a geohazard assessment before they are issued a license.[5]
The unaffected parts of the subdivision continue to be an inhabited residential area.
ReferencesEdit
^Lopez, Celeste. "Why 60 people died in the Cherry Hills housing estate - World Socialist Web Site". www.wsws.org. Retrieved 2016-09-20.
^Rivera, Blanche (October 9, 2000). "Death might come before Cherry Hills survivors get any money". Philippine Daily Inquirer. p. A23. Retrieved September 20, 2016 – via Google News.
^Frialde, Mike (1 October 2008). "CA orders prosecution of Cherry Hills developers". Philstar.com. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
^ abcMorales, Emilio; Camaclang, Marissa; Reyes, Gilberto (2001). (PDF). The 2nd Civil Engineering Conference in the Asian Region, Tokyo, 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
^ abcdefMendoza, Gemma (4 August 2002). "The Ghost of Cherry Hills". Newsbreak. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
^Salaverria, Leila (20 June 2011). "Environment official cleared in Cherry Hills tragedy". Inquirer.net. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
^Porcalla, Delon; Mendez, Christina (6 January 2000). "8 officials charged with graft for Cherry Hills tragedy". Philstar.com. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
^Porcalla, Delon (11 January 2000). "Quarrying partly to blame for Cherry Hills tragedy, says exec". Philstar.com. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
^ abcde"Cherry Hills: Main case still in court". Inquirer.net. 21 June 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
Rufo, Aries (11 January 2000). "Quarrying caused Cherry Hills Landslide". Manila Standard Today. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
Catane, Sandra; Mark Albert Zarco; Ricarido Saturay, Jr (2006). (PDF). Quezon City: University of the Philippines. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 September 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2009. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
October 19, 2023
cherry, hills, subdivision, landslide, night, august, 1999, massive, landslide, occurred, cherry, hills, subdivision, antipolo, rizal, province, philippines, that, resulted, about, deaths, houses, buried, landslide, primarily, caused, heavy, rains, associated,. On the night of August 2 1999 a massive landslide occurred in Cherry Hills subdivision in Antipolo Rizal province Philippines that resulted to about 60 deaths and 378 houses buried 1 2 The landslide was primarily caused by the heavy rains associated with Typhoon Ising Olga and neglect by the developers and government officials in assessing the site s vulnerability to geohazards Cherry Hills subdivision landslideDateAugust 2 1999 1999 08 02 Time20 00 PST UTC 08 00LocationAntipolo Rizal PhilippinesAntipolo RizalAntipolo Rizal Philippines Coordinates14 37 01 45 N 121 11 45 78 E 14 6170694 N 121 1960500 E 14 6170694 121 1960500Casualties60 deathsContents 1 Background 2 Topography 3 Event 4 Investigation 5 Aftermath 6 References 7 External linksBackground EditCherry Hills subdivision was home to hundreds of families paying off low cost concrete houses The subdivision was owned and developed by Tirso Santillan president of Philippine Japan Solidarity Philjas Corporation which had previously been given a contract by the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board HLURB to develop the area by 1992 but was given an extension of up to March 1999 due to delays Following complaints by lot buyers an inspection by the HLURB had previously found that Philjas failed to follow the plan in its contract including amenities such as landscaping entrance gate and water tanks 3 Topography EditThe subdivision was located in Antipolo Rizal and was situated in an elevated terrain cut along the perches of the Sierra Madre mountains It was also flanked by two subdivisions on its sides The eastern summit was at elevation of 255 meters while the western side was at elevation of 233 meters The subdivision cut from the mountain side was approximately 26 meters at its deepest 4 The subdivision encompassed five hectares with paved roads The subdivision consisted of light roofed one or two storey houses with hollow block wall construction that are either single detached or row houses 4 Event EditBefore the landslide several residents started evacuating the area when cracks began manifesting on the walls of their houses Tell tale signs about a possible impending slide was rumored and ominous signs of changes in elevation and ground movements were observed 4 Three days before the landslide rainfall measurements totaled 523 3 millimeters equivalent to 120 days of normal rainfall during the rainy season and was reported to have broken a 35 year record 5 This was primarily due to the onslaught of Typhoon Ising Olga and its enhancement of the southwest monsoon On 3 August 1999 the landslide occurred as other residents were preparing to evacuate due to heavy rain trapping them inside their homes as uphill houses and 45 000 cubic meters of mud rocks and concrete buried low lying areas At least 58 people died 5 while 300 homes were destroyed 6 and 378 families were left homeless 7 Investigation EditPhiljas claimed that the landslide was trigged by excess rainwater that had seeped into Hill 255 and was aggravated by ground fissures caused by renovations done by residents who in turn accused Philjas of using substandard materials However Philjas officials later acknowledged that quarrying by the company on a mountain that left a 20 foot high hanging wall made the site unstable and that they had failed to present a geohazard assessment before commencing construction It was also later found that the subdivision was built on a 27 slope rather than the 15 claimed that Philjas 8 A study by geologists at the University of the Philippines also attributed the cause to the geological setting of the area noting that its soil was oversaturated with water as it consisted of alternating porous and impervious rocks as well as a significant amount of clays of probably the swelling type They also cited the natural slope of the ground sparse vegetation and pre existing fractures in the bedrock and concluded that a geological survey could have avoided the event which geologists said was probably not conducted to save on construction costs 5 A further inspection by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau found that the site also did not have a proper drainage system and was vulnerable to ground slippage because of the dangerous slope to its west 9 An investigation by the Philippine Senate concluded that the disaster was not caused by force majeure but occurred as a result of the negligence of Philjas and government agencies which failed to enforce rules on the construction of low cost housing Among those named in its report were the HLURB and the Antipolo city government 9 Aftermath EditIn December 1999 the Office of the Ombudsman recommended the dismissal of five housing and environment officials for gross neglect and the suspension of 13 other housing environment and city officials in relation to the disaster 9 In 2001 a court ordered the arrest of Philjas president Santillan his general manager Hiroshi Ogawa and assistant general manager Eleazar Rodriguez 5 The charges were dismissed by the Antipolo prosecutor s office before it was reopened by the Justice Department in 2002 In 2004 Santillan and Rodriguez pleaded not guilty to charges of reckless imprudence while Ogawa went into hiding followed later by Rodriguez As of 2011 the case had not yet been resolved 9 In 2002 the HLURB ordered Philjas to pay damages estimated at P89 million and return payments previously made by the residents 5 Philjas then gave each family P15 000 and another P10 000 to those who lost a member 9 The disaster led the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to issue an administrative order in 2000 requiring developers of housing projects and other infrastructure projects to conduct a geohazard assessment before they are issued a license 5 The unaffected parts of the subdivision continue to be an inhabited residential area References Edit Lopez Celeste Why 60 people died in the Cherry Hills housing estate World Socialist Web Site www wsws org Retrieved 2016 09 20 Rivera Blanche October 9 2000 Death might come before Cherry Hills survivors get any money Philippine Daily Inquirer p A23 Retrieved September 20 2016 via Google News Frialde Mike 1 October 2008 CA orders prosecution of Cherry Hills developers Philstar com Retrieved 24 July 2023 a b c Morales Emilio Camaclang Marissa Reyes Gilberto 2001 The Cherry Hills Landslide Tragedy PDF The 2nd Civil Engineering Conference in the Asian Region Tokyo 2001 Archived from the original PDF on March 3 2016 Retrieved September 20 2016 a b c d e f Mendoza Gemma 4 August 2002 The Ghost of Cherry Hills Newsbreak Retrieved 24 July 2023 Salaverria Leila 20 June 2011 Environment official cleared in Cherry Hills tragedy Inquirer net Retrieved 24 July 2023 Porcalla Delon Mendez Christina 6 January 2000 8 officials charged with graft for Cherry Hills tragedy Philstar com Retrieved 24 July 2023 Porcalla Delon 11 January 2000 Quarrying partly to blame for Cherry Hills tragedy says exec Philstar com Retrieved 24 July 2023 a b c d e Cherry Hills Main case still in court Inquirer net 21 June 2011 Retrieved 24 July 2023 External links Edit Landslide on Cherry Hills Subdivision August 02 1999 Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration Kidlat 2000 Archived from the original on 11 December 2008 Retrieved 27 June 2009 Rufo Aries 11 January 2000 Quarrying caused Cherry Hills Landslide Manila Standard Today Retrieved 27 June 2009 Catane Sandra Mark Albert Zarco Ricarido Saturay Jr 2006 Landslide Risk Reduction Strategies and Practices in the Philippines PDF Quezon City University of the Philippines Archived from the original PDF on 2 September 2009 Retrieved 27 June 2009 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cherry Hills subdivision landslide amp oldid 1174121594, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
