Mindanao quake deaths reach 65

THE death toll from a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Sarangani has reached 65, with 36 individuals reported missing from Northern Mindanao and Davao Region, according to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).

In a livestreamed press conference, OCD Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito R. Alejandro IV said the number of injured individuals has also climbed to 1,400.

Mr. Alejandro said 14 affected local government units have been placed under a state of calamity.

“Our response and relief operations are continuous with all the agencies attached to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC),” he said in Filipino.

The earthquake has so far affected 261,000 families or about 624,000 individuals from 432 villages, according to Mr. Alejandro.

Mr. Alejandro said the OCD is operating 37 evacuation centers housing some 3,200 families or about 14,200 individuals, while about 57,000 individuals have been staying outside the shelters.

The OCD also estimated the quake damage has reached P1.13 billion as of June 15 across 728 public and private infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva on Monday filed a resolution urging the government to utilize all available funding for the rehabilitation of Mindanao.

“The magnitude of the destruction and the scale of rehabilitation and reconstruction required may exceed currently available resources, thereby necessitating additional government support to ensure a timely, comprehensive, and sustainable recovery effort,” Mr. Villanueva said in a statement.

Through the Senate Resolution No. 447, Mr. Villanueva called on the government to make the damaged infrastructure more resilient and climate-adaptive upon reconstruction.

Senator Francis Pancratius “Kiko” N. Pangilinan earlier filed a bill seeking a P15-billion supplemental budget for the rehabilitation of the affected areas in Mindanao and to fund relief efforts for the victims.

Acting Senate President Sherwin T. Gatchalian earlier said at an online press briefing on June 10 that the chamber has been considering including discussions on a supplemental budget for Mindanao rehabilitation efforts in the special session.

Mr. Gatchalian, former chair of the Senate Finance Committee, identified a total of P180 billion in available funds that may be used for the recovery efforts in Mindanao, with P17.8 billion remaining from the NDRRMC funds and P32 billion from the local government support fund.

Meanwhile, the Office of the President on Monday released a total of P278 million from its Socio-Civic Projects Fund to provinces and local government units affected by the earthquake.

In a statement, the Palace said the funding was announced during President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s visit to the hardest-hit areas of Sarangani Province and General Santos City, where financial assistance was extended to support relief, recovery, and rehabilitation efforts.

Under the distribution plan, Sarangani and General Santos City will each receive P50 million, while allocations include P30 million each for South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat, P20 million each for Davao Occidental and Glan, P15 million for Zamboanga City, and between P3 million and P10 million for 12 other local units.

Separately, the Department of Budget and Management has released P100 million to General Santos City for the repair and rehabilitation of its damaged city hall and will provide an additional P50 million each to the municipalities of Alabel and Glan for the rehabilitation of government buildings and a hospital damaged by the earthquake.

The June 8 earthquake caused widespread damage to public infrastructure, hospitals, schools, roads and homes across several provinces in Mindanao.

As recovery operations were underway, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recorded another 6.6-magnitude earthquake southeast of Governor Generoso, Davao Oriental, at 5:18 p.m. on Monday. Authorities have yet to confirm whether this latest tremor is an aftershock of last week’s quake. — Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel and Erika Mae P. Sinaking