The Post following the October 15 killer quake in Bohol chronicled the danger of sinkholes earning for the paper sharp reactions, some of them uncomplimentary because the story accordingly tended to strike fear to the population. As it turned out, the scary banner story only fueled findings by experts of the Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau that after all Bohol is littered with sinkholes that in southwestern Bohol alone, it has at least 100. This was heightened by another discovery that just 50 meters way from the city airport runway is another sinkhole, an indication that dangerous underground structures are found everywhere.

The most prominent among these subterranean cavities is the one along Poblacion 1, this city, leaving residents nearby gripping in panic. Geology experts from the MGB pinpointed to the Poblacion 1 sinkhole as dangerous as it is located right in an urbanized barangay and is densely populated. The tension over sinkhole scare became more palpable after City Hall officials called for a forced evacuation of some 200 families residing in Poblacion I, fearing possible collapse of the roof of the caves believed to be many in this fragile area. City Administrator Edi Borja told media that the danger posed by the presence of sinkholes in Poblacion Uno could no longer be ignored following reports of vibrating sound generated by passing vehicles even the light ones. “Our priority concern is the safety of our people,” Borja said over DYRD, “and we have to relocate them to a proper evacuation site.”

Ordered to evacuate are residents living in Purok 4,5,6,7, and 8, all of Poblacion Uno, this city. A graphic map provided by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) (please see front page photo of Sunday Post) shows areas in Poblacion Uno which are declared “under very high risk” because of the presence of numerous underground caves which had been disturbed in the aftermath of the Oct. 15 tremor that already claimed 209 lives as of Saturday night. MGB said there are more other sinkholes spotted in various quake-hit towns. The discovery in Tagbilaran, however, was accidental after an MGB official was tipped off by a Sitio Ubos resident in Poblacion Uno revealing that the shaking movement at Franklin Street whenever a vehicle passes by is no longer normal. Residents believe the Oct. 15 earthquake had destroyed the inner tributaries of known and unknown caves underneath Tagbilaran City.

In an interview with ANC, MGB Director Leo Jasareno said they are expecting to find more sinkholes once they finish mapping by the end of the year. However, this does not necessarily mean the province is no longer safe to live in, he clarified. To the people fearing the presence of sinkholes in many parts of Bohol, Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III said there is an ongoing mapping using ground penetrating radar, which is scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2014. But the mapping will be finished ahead of schedule, in the first quarter of 2014 because there are also ongoing studies being done for the construction of the Panglao airport. “The collapse of a sinkhole would depend on many factors. You may have a sinkhole but if the capping, yung ibabaw na between sinkhole and lupa, is thick or overlain by another rock na matibay, that's okay. The problem is if the capping becomes thin enough so that rupture will happen,” Jasareno said.

Meanwhile, Jasareno also expressed concerns over a sinkhole in Panggangan Island in Bohol which is directly underneath a school. “In Panggangan island, where we found about a tunnel, underground, it’s about 100 meters. Fortunately, the sinkhole is in middle of school grounds. What is dangerous there is that there are tension cracks, which means that while sinkhole has collapsed, rupture is still in progress. Lalaki pa siya. And considering that our radar has found out that there is really a tunnel underground about 100 meters. That is dangerous,” he explained. Jasareno added, though, that the school may have to be relocated soon. “We will be coordinating with the schools so that they will be informed and be advised properly what to. I think we can say that relocation in necessary,” he said.

DON’T PANIC YET

Gov. Edgar Chatto has dispelled rumors that sinkholes might swallow Bohol. He said the rumor is too futuristic. Following the Oct. 15 killer quake, it was the Bohol Sunday Post who broke the news on the presence of sinkholes, a fact that vindicated this paper which was accused of sowing panic and alarm in its Oct. 20 deadline. Chatto said city residents and residents in the towns must only rely on reports and confirmations from the proper authorities. “We should not allow fear to control over our lives,” Chatto said. “We have to calm down and avoid making wrong decisions.” Fear, not only of what appeared to be a never-ending intermittent aftershocks that already recorded to 2,000 plus, still gripped the residents in some parts of the areas badly hit by the tremor because of presence of sinkholes all over, according to reports reaching the governor.

The Provincial Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) has disclosed that “sinkholes” are located in Barangay Laya, Baclayon; one in Alburquerque town; two in barangays Cantalid and Balilihan Central Elem. School, Balilihan; two barangays Lomboy, Panggangan island, Calape; one at sitio Malid, Buenavista and Montesuerte, Carmen; two in Barangay Cambailan and Baang, Catigbian; one in Panglao island; one in Poblacion, Lila town. More than 100 other known sinkholes in quake-hit towns, 50 are in Tagbilaran, are under close observation by geology experts. Yesterday, another sinkhole is found in Barangay Taloto, about 50 few meters from the city airport’s runway, but provincial officials said this should not cause travelers to worry as the runway is safe for all landing and take-off operations. Chatto said that MGB experts are still doing their job in conducting surveys of these alleged sinkholes in different areas following the earthquake. A sinkhole in Barangay Cambailan, Catigbian town, one of the most badly hit municipality, is discovered by residents when members of the media visited the place recently. The gaping hole can fit two houses if drop together, said a resident in Catigbian. Another sinkhole in Baclayon town, found few hundred meters away from the centuries-old Baclayon stone church that was razed to the ground in the Oct. 15 quake, is believed it could eat up a whole house, said Baclayon Mayor Alvin Uy in an interview.

PANIC POPS UP

As panic over presence of sinkholes spread like wildfire, City Hall officials called for an emergency barangay assembly in Poblacion Uno. At the assembly, MGB officials had presented a slide presentation of the gravity of the problem. Borja said the evacuation plan was recommended by MGB, not by City Hall officials. Despite the clear and present danger and stern warning of government authorities, reports said several residents in Poblacion Uno are not willing to evacuate. “Evacuation is not an option. That is too much of a hassle. If we die, then we will die here,” said a Poblacion Uno resident who asked not to be named. Reacting via Facebook.com, Jan Patrick Fortich, a resident of Poblacion Uno, said: “We are educated people who are capable of thinking. What media did was take a few quotes from people who were speaking with their emotions. It is not everyday that you are asked to be evacuated, to pack up and leave everything behind. That is one thing here in Bohol that has been seen in the heavily affected areas. People are not to quick to leave their homes.”

“Yes there are caves in Poblacion 1, they have been there way before the earthquake, that is given. What MGB did was just state the obvious without going to the local government and come up with an exit plan. They pretty much just said ‘hey there are sink holes, leave the area...’ without coming up with a strategy to get these families out in an orderly way. So naturally people will get scared and fear brings panic,” Fortich said on Facebook. He also said that the barangay meeting did not help. “What MGB did came off negative because of their poor PR skills,” Fortich explained. “They were too quick to answer without thought or empathy. They came into town on their high horses and were expecting praise. The only thing we ask for is for them to come down from the horse and talk to us eye-to-eye.” (with reports from Mike Ortega Ligalig, Ric V. Obedencio, ANC, Philippine Daily Inquirer, and Philippine News Agency)