Negros Oriental tries to recover from devastation of quake

Despite scares posed by aftershocks, residents of Negros Oriental are trying to recover from a devastating magnitude-6.9 quake that jolted the Negros area last Monday.

 

Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo also said they are not losing hope of finding survivors from landslides and collapsed structures.

 

"Sa ngayon unti-unti na (bumabangon). Ang iba nasa state of shock pa; sa dami ng aftershock, ang iba natatakot pa," he said in an interview on dzBB radio.

 

The Department of Social Welfare and Development is helping in recovery efforts, bringing relief goods and activating a cash-for-work scheme for local residents.

 

Negros Oriental was one of the areas hit hardest by the magnitude-6.9 quake, which struck before noon last Monday.

 

Degamo said search teams continue to look for survivors despite some heartbreaking stories of death.

 

He cited one case where a resident sent text messages to relatives indicating they were still alive under the rubble, but when rescue teams got to them, the child had died.

 

"Ina-assume natin ang mga nasa ilalim wala na, pero we will not lose hope," he said.

 

As of Wednesday morning, he said the death toll remained at 22, even as unconfirmed reports from the military hinted the death toll may have gone up to 52.

 

He said they are sticking to the official count of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, which put the estimated death toll at 22.

 

"(Pero) may pag-asa pa tayo. We hope and pray," he said.

 

Also, Degamo said he has instructed provincial engineers to work with the Department of Public Works and Highways in assessing the damage caused by the quake to key structures such as buildings, roads and bridges.

 

On the other hand, he said power is still out in some areas of the province as of Wednesday.

 

An earlier dzBB report quoted Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras as saying there is no timetable yet for the restoration of power in quake-hit areas.

 

Relief goods, cash-for-work program

 

The DSWD said it has sent relief goods to areas in Negros Oriental hit hard by the quake, including Guihulngan City and La Libertad town.

 

DSWD Secretary Corazon Soliman said two Navy boats bearing relief goods left Cebu for Guihulngan Tuesday afternoon and should have arrived there by Wednesday morning.

 

In an interview on dzBB radio, she said the relief goods included 2,000 food packs, 150 boxes of canned goods, 2,000 bottles of drinking water, 336 mats, 275 mosquito nets, 200 pairs of slippers, 40 tents, 2,632 bars of laundry soap, and 318 blankets.

 

She also said the cash-for-work program should help residents not only financially but also psychologically.

 

Under the cash-for-work program, residents are to get 75 percent of the minimum daily wage.

 

"Bahagi rin ‘yan ng pag-alis ng trauma kasi parang nino-normalize mo ang buhay, ang paglilinis, pag-aayos ng lugar na tinamaan," she said. –KG, GMA News