A grieving Jess Bulatao has spoken against proliferating donation drives on behalf of his family who perished in the Guisad Surong landslide earlier this week.
Jess cautioned the public, “There is only one legitimate GCash number we use [for our family] that is our cousin’s, Mae Soriano,” adding they are seeing many who use the family photos in various donation drives.
Seven family members lie in state at the Cathedral of the Resurrection; Precious Ann Abeya, Elijah Aliyah Andres, Jaiden Perry Caluza, Pedro Caluza, Keziah Marie Bulatao, and two-year-old Zepharrah Jhade “Panyang” Bulatao.
“If they [those behind unauthorized solicitation drives] are doing this for us [the family], then may God bless them, but if not, I hope they take pity on those who truly need assistance.”
Jess, father to Keziah and grandfather to two-year-old Zepharrah Jhade, recalls he was on his way home from church service on the night of the tragedy while his son-in-law was likewise wrapping up work.
“Instead of growing old, taking care of my grandchild, she is now gone,” Jess shared.
On the night of August 9, 2026, Sunday, after over a week of heavy rain, a landslide buried 13 individuals trapped under mud and debris after three residential houses eroded on the mountain slope in Barangay Guisad Surong.
At the height of the rains, 27 families representing 104 individuals also took shelter in two of the barangay evacuation centers in a bid to keep themselves safe from earth-moving threats.
The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (DOST-PAGASA) reported Baguio City and Benguet province recorded 1,413 millimeters of accumulated rainfall from August 1 to August 9, 2026, equivalent to 1.5 months’ worth of rain, exceeding the 100-millimeter threshold for both areas.
Keziah and Zepharrah Jhade were found entwined in an embrace, leaving a community heartbroken.
Jess has announced funeral services are scheduled for next week for the Bulatao and Tiam families, while the Caluza family has decided to extend their wake for a few days more as he thanks the community who has sent food for the wake as well as provisions for his family.
“We still appreciate donations of food and grocery packs, as we cannot control the number of people visiting and condoling with us, we cannot stop these individuals who want to comfort, it is their way of showing their love.”
He also admitted his anxiety over the loss of their home: “We are worried about our shelter, we do not have a place to go after, we cannot rebuild our old home.”
On August 12, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong declared Purok 2, Barangay Guisad Surong, as a “no-build zone” due to soil instability with a high risk of ground collapse and assured a relocation site for those displaced. Maria Elena Catajan
