CEORTN20 – Civil Engineering Orientation

Civil Engineering Department

The Landslide Incident in Barangay Tinaan, City of Naga, Cebu

Partolan, Mikhail Rave E.1, Patiño, Alfred Angelo R.2, Pierre, Angela Camille D.J.3, Pogata, Dennis Y.4,
Recelestino, Jason P.5
CEGLGY20-ESE201

GENERAL OVERVIEW

[1] Naga City, Cebu is located on the southeastern coast of Cebu Islands, Philippines, which is part of
an island group known as the Central Philippines region, which also includes Panay, Negros, Bohol, Leyte, and
Samar. These islands, as well as their adjacent and sedimentary basins, share a geologic history, with the Iloilo
and Visayan basins being underlain by a basement complex composed of Cretaceous to Eocene igneous and
metamorphic rocks, as well as Cenozoic volcanic and sedimentary units. The Central Philippines region is located
within the Philippine Mobile Belt (PMB), which is a continuously deforming and seismically active zone bounded
by opposing polar subduction zones.
[1] On September 20,2018 at approximately 5:45 am a massive landslide devastated Naga City, Cebu.
The landslide moved at a velocity of up to 8 meters per second and traveled a distance of 1.34 km. The most
affected area are the portions of Sitio Tagaytay (crown area) and Sitio Sindulan (toe area) in Barangay Tinaan,
Naga City, Cebu. Northeastern portion of the quarry area of Apo Land & Quarry Corporation (ALCQ) was also
affected. [2] On the report of National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) the landslide
claimed the lives of 77 villagers and a total of 57 houses were totally damaged.
[1] The landslide was triggered by the heavy rainfall on the night of September 19 and early morning
of September 20, but the failure initiated in an area in which there had been extensive mining, and concerns about
instability in the area. In this study we analyze the structural failures due to landslide caused by slope stability. We
explore the relevant of Geology in Civil Engineering.

[1] Figure 1. Aerial image of the Naga landslide taken a month after the incident. Numerous houses in Sitio
Sindulan, Barangay Tinaan and the village situated near the base of the cliff in Barangay Naalad, were buried by
the landslide debris.

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PROBLEM CDRRMO personnel provided medical, logistical and

Structural failure due to landslide caused by slope
stability.
[3] The stability of a slope is one of the
most critical importance in Geotechnical
Engineering. A slope movement can lead to severe
issues including infrastructure damage and casualties.
[4] An initial analysis of the stability of the slope in
Naga City, suggests that prior to the failure of the
slope might have been in a pseudo-unstable state,
even under dry conditions. [5] The cumulative rain
fell in Naga, since September 1-20, 2018 that
triggered the slope to be more unstable that caused the
landslide and the destruction of the structures. [1]
According to the geologist of Mines and Geosciences
Bureau (MGB), mapped the landslide site in August
2018 a month before the failure and logged extensive
cracking across the slope. [3] Slope stability depends
on the capability of the soil the soil mass to withstand
its gravitational forces, the additional loads acting on
the slope, as well as potential dynamic load (such as
that of an earthquake). [5] Naga City, landslide is a
low angled block slide, noting that many of the
limestone blocks remained intact and upright. The
landslide lasted for a minute and traveled with a
maximum velocity of 72 km/h. In retrospect the
runout distance is also not exceptional, given total
vertical extent of 210 meters and the large volume of
the landslide.
PARTIES INVOLVED
communication assistance.
[5] Philippine Air Force conducted aerial
Search and Rescue (SAR) flight survey over the
affected area.
[5]Carmen Copper Engineers together
with 53rd Engineer Brigade conducted risk
assessment to ensure that the area is safe prior to
resumption of Search and Rescue operation.
RELEVANCE TO CE PROFESSION
Damages to Structures
The Naga City landslide was one of the
huge landslide in the Philippines. The damage was
widespread it affected houses, and covered part of the
river, prompting officials to dig a temporary canal. [2]
According to NDRRMC site report, a total of 1,972
families were affected in 5 barangays in Naga city
who are currently being served. As many as 77 people
lost their lives, 7 were injured and 57 missing.
Damages to houses
Damage to houses was enormous, and
affected dwellings made of timber, reinforced
concrete as well as houses made of indigenous
materials. [2] On the report of NDRRMC a total of 57
houses were totally damaged. Residents whose
houses were badly damaged were forced to evacuate
to 11 evacuation centers.
[2] The City of Naga, Cebu was declared
under the State of Calamity on September 21, 2018
due to damages brought by the occurrence of a
massive landslide.

[6] As soon as the landslide incident on

September 20,2018 was reported to Mines and
Geosciences Bureau – Central Visayas Director Engr.
Loreto B. Alburo, two Geologists, one Mining
Engineer and one Geodetic Engineer were
immediately dispatched to conduct an assessment.
Mines and Geosciences Bureau – 7 (MGB) is a Table 1. NDRRMC report of the damaged houses per
government agency of the Philippines under the barangay during the landslide in Naga, City.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR) that is responsible for the conservation,
management, development and proper use of the
country’s mineral resources including those in
reservations and lands of public domain. Conducted
GEO tagging to the areas that were affected by the
landslide in Barangay Sindulan, Naalad, and Mainit.

Local Government Units

[6] Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk
Reduction Office (CPDRRMO) led by Nagiel
Banacia, reinforced the first reponders of the
Figure 2. The houses at the toe of the landslide.
landslide in Barangay Tinaan, Naga City. Composed
of 3 teams, for Search Rescue and Retrieval from

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Damming in Pandan River
[1] Pandan river served as the dam of the
landslide, which necessitated immediate breaching to
prevent flooding of the city proper downstream.
Major structural failures appear because
of the lack of proper care while construction of
buildings. Whenever a small crack appears, this
eventually goes on enlarging itself unless treated by
structural engineers. For prevention, it is advised to
keep vigilance and strict supervision or inspection
from time to time by experts to avoid any kind of
accidents. There are some instances where the
quantity is given importance over quality on
construction sites. This is because money is mostly
the governing factor at sites which affects the quality.
No engineer designs imperfectly, but there are some
criteria in design which need some attention.
Engineers tend to avoid over reinforcing the concrete
as in over reinforcement, the structure fails suddenly
and is quite brittle. Therefore, they opt for under
reinforcement as the structure fails by yielding and is
quite ductile, which gives sufficient time to engineers
for taking precautionary measures or vacating the
building.
INITIAL ANALYSIS/RESOLUTION
[5] The source of the landslide is a 480
m-long, 50- m-high (max), 55-75 rectilinear scarp.
The limestones in the area are gently dipping and
readily daylight out of the slope faces. Exposures
along the main and lateral scarps show the thinly to
thick bedded calcarenites and calcirudites. These
limestone are poorly cemented and very porous in
megascopic view. In 2007 the pre-failure deformation
shows intermittent ground cracks and rockfalls.
According to residents, small tension cracks stared
appearing in 2016 and by 2018, these cracks became
widespread. The earliest and longest crack was
located close to the head scarp of the 2018 landslide.
Three weeks before the landslide the Mines and
Geosciences Bureau conducted a survey on August
29,2018 in response to reports of the progressive
widening of cracks within the mining area of Sitio
Tagaytay. It also showed a landslide mass that
initially moved as one intact block with no significant
backward regression. The successive detachment of
multiple block along the series of tension cracks and
the landslide deposit facies are intact blocks, dry flow
deposits, rockfall deposits, collapsed block is shown
as evidence of deposits. Steep cut sloped associated
with extraction activities. The preliminary slope
stability analysis showed that the failed mass
consisted of two major slope units truncated by steep
(70-85) slope cuts at its toe. The exposed section of
the slip surface is approximately 50 m high vertical
scarp at the crown, the base of which is obscured by
landslide deposits. The estimated landslide deposits
thickness at the base of the main scarp is about 5-10m,
3
as a result the slip surface can then be assumed to be
55-60m deep at the main scarp.
[7] The slope stabilization is to reduce
the risk of slope failure to enhance public safety. The
purpose of slope stabilization techniques is to
increase the Factor of Safety of a slope to a level that
is considered adequate. Soil stabilization is one of the
techniques it refers to all the processes that aim to
enhance the soil’s mechanical properties, increasing
its shear strength and thus the stability of the slope.
The presence of water in the soil or the rock mass
causes increased pore water pressure. Creating water
drainage are used to reduce water entry and control
the groundwater level. The water pressure weakens
the ties between the particles and they tend to slip, a
fact that reduces the stability of the slope.
[8] The Naga City landslide highlighted
the need to further study and monitor potential
landslide hazards in Cebu Island. In the case of the
2018 Naga City disaster, there were clear indications
of imminent collapse of mountains through the
manifestation of fractures in Sitio Tagaytay. The
development of tension cracks probably marked the
failure creep deformation, which lasted for at least 3
weeks. For such occurrences it provide reasonable
time interval between the first observation of
precursors and the major failure event, for the purpose
of providing early warning.
REFLECTIONS/INSIGHTS
[1] This analysis shows that on
September 20, 2018, towns in Naga City, Cebu, were
destroyed by a debris avalanche rather than a
straightforward translational slide. One of the most
dangerous geologic dangers is a landslide with an
excessive amount of runout. It has now joined past
disastrous landslides in the Philippines, such as the
1628 Iriga and 2006 Guinsaugon debris avalanches,
in taking the lives of 78 Filipinos, with 6 still
unaccounted for. In order to improve our
understanding of how to protect against such dangers,
the Naga landslide was utilized as a case study to
better understand the emplacement mechanism of
debris avalanches.
[1] The researcher also able to provide
accurate nomenclature, crucial for comprehending
the variables that contributed to the landslide disaster
in Naga City, by comparing the deposits of the
catastrophic collapse with analog models and well-
known debris avalanches. The findings of this
research constitute a crucial step in our understanding
of rockslide-debris avalanches, which is essential for
hazard assessment and risk mitigation in the future.
People who lived close to the landslide's headscarp
were spared thanks to warnings that appeared a month
 GED0057 – Design Thinking
before the disaster in the form of hairline fractures
that widened into centimeter-wide cracks. Sadly, the
landslide's potential for long-term effects was neither
foreseen nor comprehended. This study increases our
understanding of long-runout occurrences, which is
essential for assessing risks and hazards.
As a group our opinion in this case study
the government should always check the legibility
and the background of the quarrying company that
wants to have a business of quarrying in our country
because some of the company is illegal and don’t
have care in our environment. Landslide is a natural
disaster but if the government and also the residents
near the mountains have care it there are no people
will die and there is less disaster. Landslide is a
natural disaster and nothing will predict it, natural
disaster is unpredictable so always be ready and to be
safe don’t live near the mountains because it is
dangerous or in other places that near to danger zone.
Having a project that is a nature loving project like
planting trees other projects that is good for the
environment will be helpful to all the people.
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
[1] The Naga landslide event is an
example of a well-documented debris avalanche,
complete with all the characteristics of this type of
rapid mass movement. It is consistent with the
descriptions found in the literature with respect to its
deposit features and mechanical behavior as defined
by laboratory models and empirically-derived
equations. This study helps us understand historical
and future long-runout debris avalanches in order for
scientists and authorities to find ways to save lives.
Unfortunately, there was a lack of appropriate hazards
assessment on the site, which had warnings in the form
of the development of fractures at the head scarp of the
landslide, a month prior to the disaster.
[1] Therefore, there were measures the
local/national government utilized that could have
prevented the Naga City landslide such as they
should've performed complete hazards assessment on
the site before approving the quarrying operations by
Apo Land and Quarry Corporations (ALQC). Before
having such operations, the local/national government
should understand the mechanism of these gargantuan
landslides, the type of landslide in Naga City, and their
correct nomenclature are useful for hazard prevention
and mitigation. Moreover, the local/national
government should've conducted a thorough
assessment and investigation before allowing mining
companies to have operations in the place.
REFERENCES
[1] Lagmay et al., (11 August 2020). “Anatomy of
the Naga City Landslide and Comparison With
Historical Debris Avalanches and Analog Models”.
Retrieved from
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.
2020.00312/full
[2] NDRRMC Sitrep No.16
https://ndrrmc.gov.ph/attachments/article/3443/SitR
ep_No_16_re_Landslide_Incident_in_Naga_City_C
ebu_as_of_06OCT2018_0600H.pdf
[ 3] Slope Stability Analysis
https://www.geoengineer.org/education/slope-
stability/introduction-to-slope-
stability#:~:text=Slope%20Stability%20%2D%20G
eneral,-
Slopes%20are%20typically&text=The%20stability
%20of%20a%20slope,infrastructure%20damage%2
0or%2Fand%20casualties.
[4] The Huge September 2018 Naga Landslide in the
Philippines: a first published analysis
https://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2019/07/02/naga-
landslide/
[5] Catane, S.G., Veracruz, N.A.S., Flora,
J.R.R. et al. 2019. Mechanism of a low-angle
translational block slide: evidence from the
September 2018 Naga landslide,
Philippines. Landslides. https://doi.org/10.100
7/s10346-019-01212-9
[6] https://r7.mgb.gov.ph/briefer-of-the-landslide-
incident-in-barangay-tinaan-city-of-naga-cebu/
[7] https://r7.mgb.gov.ph/briefer-of-the-landslide-
incident-in-barangay-tinaan-city-of-naga-cebu/
[8]https://resilience.up.edu.ph/projects/assistance
-during-disasters-public-service-naga-city-
landslide/