Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu has ordered the immediate suspension of the environmental compliance certificate of a quarrying company, which has mining rights in the area where a deadly landslide occurred in Cebu on Thursday.

In a text message to Manila Shimbun, Cimatu said that he directed the Environmental Management Bureau 7 Regional Director William Conado and Mines and Geosciences Bureau Regional Director Loreto Alburo for the "immediate suspension" of the ECC of Apo Land and Quarry Corporation.

"MGB 7 sent Geologist Dennis Aleta to conduct investigations as to the cause and circumstances of the landslide," he said.

Based on the report, Cimatu said nine people died and 59 have been missing from the landslide.

"Rescue operations (are) ongoing," he said.

Despite having mining rights in the area where a mountain collapsed, Apo Land said it had no quarry operations there.

Meanwhile, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the Palace extends condolences to the victims of the landslide in Naga City, Cebu.

He assured that the government would find ways to prevent a similar incident from happening again.

The Cebu tragedy came as rescuers have been working double time to locate other missing individuals who were buried in the landslides in Benguet during the height of Typhoon Ompong on September 15. Celerina Monte/DMS