MANILA, Philippines— Itogon Mayor Victorio Palangdan on Wednesday said the local government implemented preemptive evacuation in the landslide area before the onslaught of Typhoon Ompong (international name: Mangkhut). In a press conference, Palangdan stressed that they urged villagers to evacuate but they rejected their offer. On the fourth day of the retrieval operations, Palangdan said he is still hopeful survivors would be saved by the volunteers. Palangdan blamed mining firms for allowing the small-scale miners and their families to mine in the landslide area. Environment chief Roy Cimatu ordered a halt in small-scale mining activities in the Cordillera region.

Source: Philippine Star September 19, 2018 13:52 UTC