Earthquake victims in General Santos, Sarangani get aid from PBBM

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (PIA) — Some 2,000 beneficiaries, composed of tricycle drivers and members of the city’s transportation group, received P2,000 each from President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. during his visit on Thursday, November 23.

These beneficiaries, according to the report of National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to the president in a situation briefing at the City Mayor’s Conference Room of the local government unit of Gensan, were affected by the magnitude 6.8 earthquake that hit the city as well as its neighboring towns in Sarangani province on November 17, 2023.

DSWD also included the transportation group as beneficiaries since they were also affected due to suspension of work for at least two days and suspension of classes for a week.

“It is our duty to  respond promptly to the needs of our fellow Filipinos during a crisis. We stand united with the affected communities,” the president said, showing great concern and assuring the affected residents of government resources and support.

Aside from this, PBBM also handed over P10,000 each for those whose houses were totally damaged and P5,000 each for those partially damaged.

The financial aid was funded through the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program, which also includes family food packs and family support kits.

Carlito Bazar, a resident of Barangay Labangal, General Santos City, extended his appreciation to the government for the aid he received.

“Kani, walay mausik ani kay puro nako ni ibalik didto sa materyales ipalit kay para makapatindog usab [There will be no wastage in this assistance as this will all go to the materials for the reconstruction of our house that was damaged by the earthquake],” Bazar said, sharing that his damaged house was newly repaired after it was razed by fire and now damaged by an earthquake.

General Santos City Mayor Lorelie Geronimo-Pacquiao reported that out of the 26 barangays in the city, 17 were affected. As to the affected houses, she said 124 were partially damaged, while 50 others were totally damaged.

“Sa tatlong coastal barangays namin, nasa 41 ang naiulat na nasirang bangka, kung saan 36 ang partially damaged, lima naman po ang ating totally damaged. Ang bangka po ang pinagkukunan ng kanilang income. Napatawag narin po sila at naibigay na po ang tulong na galing sa DSWD [In our three coastal barangays, there were 41 reported damaged boats, of which 36 were partially damaged and five were totally damaged. The boat is the source of their income. They have been called already to avail themselves of the help from the DSWD],” she told the president.

As to the casualties, Pacquiao reported that three died in the aftermath of the earthquake. The city government has already reached out to the families for assistance. Pacquiao also said that many government infrastructure and private buildings and establishments incurred major and minor damages that needed to be immediately repaired.

The earthquake in Sarangani affected at least 515,069 people from 54 barangays, predominantly in the municipalities of Glan and Malapatan, with 86 people injured and five others killed as a result of the disaster.

“Financial assistance was already extended to the families, and there were zero billings for the patients,” said Governor Rogelio Pacquiao.

As to the structures, 447 houses were totally damaged, while 3,014 were partially damaged. Most of the affected houses were located on the coastlines of two barangays, he reported.

Also, 18 national and provincial major connectivity roads and three bridges linking the towns of Alabel, Malapatan, and Glan were affected by the landslide.

Aside from the municipal hall of Glan, the town’s port, a vital entry to bolster trade relations under the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) was also damaged. Likewise, the fishport in Malapatan was affected, with over 300 fishing vessels damaged.

Reports from DepEd Sarangani also disclosed that 20 schools were affected by the earthquake, with a cost of damage estimated at P216 million.

Office of Civil Defense 12 Regional Director Raylindo Aniñon also informed the president that a Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA) and inspection of all damaged and affected infrastructure as well as assessment of affected families in General Santos City and Sarangani are still ongoing.

The recent 6.8 earthquake has killed at least 8 people and injured 25 others in the Soccsksargen region. It has affected 8,565 families and 40,356 individuals, including 4,299 damaged houses, he further said.

As a response, the president vowed to mobilize government resources to address the situation, promising to prioritize in the government’s rehabilitation and recovery phase the damage to Glan’s key infrastructure.

“Ang malaking damage is ano, yung mga structure, yung pinakamahirap yung sa Glan na puerto. At alam kong gamit na gamit yan, so we will have to prioritize that in the recovery [The significant damage is on the structures, and the most challenging part is the port in Glan. I know that it is heavily utilized, so we will have to prioritize that in the recovery],” he said.

“Ang problema sa lindol walang forecast, hindi natin alam kung ano ang mangyayari. But meron tayong assistance, lahat ng mga pangangailangan ng mga inabutan, yung nawalan ng bahay, yung mga mangingisda, yung mga na-injure. Lahat iyan, patuloy ang bigay ng DSWD assistance. So hanggang matapos, titingnan natin [The problem with an earthquake is that there is no forecast; we don’t know what’s going to happen. But we have assistance being prepared for all the needs of the affected residents, those whose houses were damaged, the fisherfolk, and those who were injured. All of these will be provided assistance from DSWD until this ends],” he added.

President Marcos Jr. also urged the public not to return or enter any structure that has not been deemed safe in order to prevent any unfortunate events.

He also ordered all concerned agencies to continue the relief assistance to the earthquake-affected individuals while telling the relief team to also take caution on possible aftershocks, which actually occurred with a magnitude 5.0 earthquake while the president was on his way to Gensan.

“The distribution of the relief goods talagang ang inaasahan natin ang LGU. Kasi alam ninyo tapos may asset naman kayo na pwedeng gamitin para…alam ninyo kung sino ang mga nangangailangan. So we will depend on the local governments, na kayo magsabi sa amin kung saan dadalhin ang mga relief goods, pati ang financial assistance kung sino talaga ‘yun mga tinamaan. Kasi kung kami ang gagawa ng listahan meron kaming mamimiss merong magdodoble, eh sa inyo alam ninyo ‘yan. I think we just keep going;  we just keep doing the relief goods [We are banking on LGUs’ support when it comes to the distribution of relief goods. They have assets that they can use, and they know where to bring relief assistance and who the beneficiaries are who are in dire need of assistance from the government. In this way, we will not miss out on any affected individual if we, in the national government, are the ones to make the list],” said Marcos Jr.

During the briefing, the president was joined by the members of the NDRRMC led by Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, and their counterparts from the RDRRMC 12, including heads of national line agencies and local officials from General Santos and Sarangani. (SJDM – PIA Region 12)