Quake death toll rises to 6

MANILA, Philippines — Another quake-related fatality in Magsaysay town in Davao was recorded yesterday, increasing the number of deaths from five to six – four from a massive landslide that hit a village in Magsaysay, one from M’lang, North Cotabato and one from Maguindanao. 

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC)’s figure of individuals injured during the powerful tremor has also increased from 89 the other day to 93 yesterday – 21 from Magsaysay, Davao del Sur; 36 from various towns in North Cotabato; 29 from South Cotabato and seven from General Santos City.

The latest report also showed that the number of those affected by the quake that shook wide areas in three Mindanao regions – Davao, Central Mindanao and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) – has risen to 1,653 families, or 8,265 individuals, from 52 affected barangays.

These affected individuals came from Davao del Sur with 630 people from the towns of Bansalan, 985 from Magsaysay and 1,260 from Matanog. 

As of yesterday, 329 houses were reported to have been totally demolished by the quake, while 1,031 others in the Davao Region, Central Mindanao and BARMM incurred cracks and other forms of damage.

The quake also damaged 269 school buildings in the three regions. 

The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Central and Field Offices and the National Resource Operations Center reported a stockpile and standby funds amounting to P1,966,506,084.39.

The NDRRMC said out of this standby fund, P1,076,221,717.32  is now available for the DSWD’s Quick Response Fund.

Major aftershock jolts Cotabato

Meanwhile, a magnitude 5 earthquake rocked Cotabato province yesterday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

The tremor, which occurred at 6:52 a.m., was centered 27 kilometers southeast of Tulunan, North Cotabato.

Earlier on Friday at 7 p.m., a magnitude 4.7 tremor also occurred near the area. Phivolcs traced the epicenter of the Friday aftershock to 18 kilometers south of Tulunan.

Phivolcs said yesterday morning’s earthquake, an aftershock of Wednesday’s magnitude 6.3 tremor, was felt strongest at Intensity IV in Kidapawan City.

Meanwhile, Intensity III was recorded in Tupi, Koronadal City and Tampakan, South Cotabato, while Intensity II was registered in General Santos City. The earthquake, of tectonic origin, has a depth of focus of 12 kilometers.

The local government unit (LGU) of Kidapawan has urged villagers in Barangay Ilomavis near Mt. Apo to relocate to safer areas, due to possible landslides, after community leaders confirmed seeing fissures at mountainsides on Thursday morning.

Hundreds of Barangay Ilomavis residents have started moving out according to radio stations in the province, said Psalmer Bernalte, head of the Kidapawan City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office.

The Kidapawan LGU is now providing displaced residents with relief interventions, according to Williamor Magbanua, the city’s information officer. 

Local members of the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines on Friday declared the provincial agriculture office building in Kidapawan unsafe due to damages. 

Inspectors also reported having seen on Thursday a 100-meter crack traversing residential lands in Barangay Ilomavis at the foot of Mt. Apo, the country’s tallest peak.

The municipal council of Makilala town in North Cotabato declared the municipality under a state of calamity on Thursday.

Personnel of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and the Army’s 6th Infantry Division are still out in towns adjoining Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur monitoring the situation of villagers.

The NDRRMC has deployed Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA) teams to the quake stricken areas in Mindanao to assist thousands of displaced residents get back on their feet.

“What is happening on the ground right now is that our three OCD (Office of Civil Defense) regional offices have deployed RDANA teams to assess and provide non-food items needed by displaced residents,” NDRRMC spokesman Mark Timbal said.