SAINT BERNARD, Leyte, Philippines -- In a matter of seconds, the homes and families of the central Philippine village of Guinsaugon were wiped out, buried under a mountain of soil and rock.

Now survivors must come to grips with both a painful past and an uncertain future.

Around 2,000 people lived in Guinsaugon, near the town of Saint Bernard in the central island of Leyte, before a landslide triggered by two weeks of heavy rain wiped the village from the map on Friday.

More than 200 of Guinsaugon's children were in the elementary school when the landslide hit and were buried along with the rest of the village. Now, only a handful of very small children can be seen among the survivors.

Ingredients for Disaster...
First, the volcanic rocks or “pyroclastic materials” on the mountainous slopes were not “consolidated,” meaning, they were not hard enough.
Second, as a result of weathering, the rocks formed a thick soil cover.
Third, La Niña came, softening the soil cover, which had already been rendered unstable by the fault line and the previous rainfall.
Fourth (my point of view) Lack of Environmental Awareness and Responsibility on both people and the Government.

Combine it all and the rest is History!

Hope Floats and Fades..
Hopes of a miracle had focused on the school amid unconfirmed reports that survivors there sent cell phone text messages to relatives shortly after a mountainside collapsed.

At least 74 people were trampled to death early Saturday in a stampede outside a stadium where thousands of people had gathered to watch a popular TV game show, the Philippine Red Cross said. About 500 people were injured and hospitalized.

About 30,000 people were waiting to get inside the stadium for the program "Wowowee," said Vicente Eusebio, the mayor of Pasig, the Manila suburb where the stampede occurred.

The raffle tickets can be obtained at the gate so everyone was in a hurry. There was pushing and people in front of the gate were crushed. Gordon blamed poor organization of the event for the tragedy.

A charitible act in pretext of profit?

People heed out for the call trying their luck to win the big raffle (doblado, sa ULTRA at homeviewers ay may nag-aantay na malalaking premyo) as promised by the show and hoping to hit it bigtime.

-Kaya ang pumila sa Pera o Bayong ay pipila sa mga kabaong ng mga nasawi.
-Bigaten talaga ang sakit ng kalooban na nararamdaman ng mga biktima.
-Doblado Sigurado talaga ang kapabayaan ng organizer sa event. tsk, tsk, tsk...

Blame it on whom?
Sadyang sumasalamin sa ganitong mga sitwasyon ang kawalan ng pag-asa ng mga Pinoy na umahon sa kahirapan at umaasa na lamang sa guhit ng kapalaran at nagbabaka-sakali.

It was not the responsibility of the MMDA, Police or any enforcers, the whole thing was an ABS-CBN's sickening event. The blood of these poor people are on your hands. Apologies are not enough, even shouldering the funeral expenses of those who died but responsibilty and liability is everything.

images : top AP, bottom INQ7