Cotabato LGUs air concerns on relocation, water supply for evacuees

Problems on relocation and rehabilitation, as well as supply and sanitation inside evacuation centers, in Cotabato are are expected to plague quake-hit southern Philippine province for the next three months, local officials said on Wednesday.

In a meeting with representatives from the national government, Cotabato's local government officials raised to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III the problems they continue to experience after a series of powerful quakes in the past few weeks.

In a Balitanghali report by Chino Gaston, the LGU officials added that the problems are broad in scope, especially those on health, rehabilitation of damaged houses, and relocation of people who may no longer be allowed to return to their hazard-zone homes in the mountains.

Another emerging problem is the lack of supply of drinking water, which got worse after the watershed area of the local water districts sustained damage from an erosion.

The installment of additional water filtration systems is being rushed for evacuees to have drinking water.

The TV report quoted local officials as estimating the total number of families in the province to be 30,000, with only 5,000 of them staying in evacuation centers.

The Cotabato LGU expressed fears that these 5,000 families seeking shelter in evacuation centers might get sick without clean water and comfort rooms.

A PHIVOLCS representative said the public should prepare for the possibility of another strong earthquake, as there are still three other faults in Cotabato that did not move amid the past three powerful tremors.

The provincial government called on the public to send their donations to incident command centers so they could be distributed directly to the victims.

The local government further advised the public not to give perishables as much as possible, especially after about 30 evacuees in Makilala were sent to hospital after eating rotten rice on Monday. — Jamil Santos/MDM, GMA News