When authorities received information that several residents were still trapped in the mountain village of Luayon in Makilala, North Cotabato, a member team of Army soldiers, among them Tupa, was sent to locate and rescue them. The residents were not able to evacuate to safer grounds as massive landslides had blocked the roads due to a series of earthquakes.
The area has been rocked by several quakes, including four with magnitudes above 6 6. In a chat with Tupa, he narrated the risks they faced, including imminent landslides, when they trekked on Saturday, November 2, to get to the sitios of Bagong Silang and Kapatagan in Barangay Luayon.
Tupa bared that they trekked for five hours before reaching the trapped residents in Sitio Kapatagan by nightfall. They spent the night with them. Residents from Luayon who were able to evacuate on October 29 informed the authorities that there were still people left in the mountains.
The soldiers were assisted by personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection, who also boarded the helicopters. On Sunday morning, after securing the landing zone, which sits on top of a ridge surrounded by vegetation, the soldiers called for the airlift.
While the soldiers were confident that the pilots were skilled enough to find means to land the helicopters, Tupa said they were also ready to escort the residents to safer grounds on foot if the helicopters could not land. Tupa added that he was astounded by the skills of the PAF pilots who were able to land on top of a ridge which had already partly collapsed.
