9 national, provincial roads damaged in Soccsksargen due to Mindanao earthquake

Nine national and provincial roads, as well as four bridges, were damaged in Soccsksargen, following the magnitude 6.8 earthquake that hit Davao Occidental on Friday, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 12 said Sunday.

In a Super Radyo dzBB interview, OCD 12 information officer Jorie Mae Balmediano said that some of the damaged roads were already passable using one lane, but only for light vehicles.

“Ngayon kasi, ongoing pa ang ginagawang pag-aayos ng roads especially sa munisipyo ng T’Boli and Tampakan ng South Cotabato. May mga area talaga doon, provincial road kasi siya na hindi passable ng mga vehicles dahil sa nangyari na soil erosion doon sa T’Boli,” she said.

(The repair of roads is ongoing now especially in the municipalities of T'Boli and Tampakan of South Cotabato. There are areas there, provincial roads that are not passable by vehicles because of the soil erosion that happened in T'Boli.)

Two bridges in Glan, and another one in Malapatan, Sarangani were also damaged. There was also one bridge in General Santos that sustained damage because of the quake.

Balmediano said that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has deployed a quick response team to fix the damaged infrastructure in the region.

She also said that power supply in the region was already restored on Saturday, but the municipality of Glan, and some areas in General Santos City still experience intermittent power outages.

There were also no problems with food and water supplies among affected individuals, Balmediano said.

“So far, wala naman kaming ganong klaseng problem dito sa amin. Immediately, nabigyan din agad ng assistance ang mga nag-evacuate,” she said.

(So far, we don't have that kind of problem here. Assistance was immediately given to those who evacuated.)

“Sa munisipyo ng Glan, may a total 900 persons na nag-evacuate. Agad-agad din namang nabigyan ng ayuda. Sa mga families na nasira ang kanilang kabahayan ay nabigyan ng assistance,” she added.

(In the municipality of Glan, there are a total of 900 persons who evacuated. Aid was immediately given. Assistance was also given to families whose homes were damaged.)

She said that the regional OCD will coordinate with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to provide additional assistance to local government units which sustained more damage because of the earthquake.

Seven people reportedly died due to the quake, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Saturday.

Three of the fatalities were from General Santos City; two were from Glan and one in Malapatan, Sarangani; and one in Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental.

Based on the latest NDRRMC situational report, 167 people or 34 families in 12 barangays were affected by the said natural disaster.

At least 52 houses were also damaged—44 of which were partially, while eight were totally damaged.

Seventy-one infrastructure were also damaged both in the Davao Region and Soccsksargen.

Davao Occidental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMO) head Harry Chester Camoro said that provision of assistance is ongoing for the 88 affected families in Sarangani Island.

“We will be requesting the help of Philippine Navy in resupplying food supplies doon sa island municipality namin para mas mapadali,” he said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB on Sunday.

(We will be requesting the help of the Philippine Navy to make our resupplying of food in our island municipality easier.)

Camoro said all roads and bridges in the province are also accessible now, but classes will be suspended on Monday and Tuesday for the conduct of building inspections.

Schools damaged

The magnitude 6.8 earthquake also damaged 16 schools in Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental, General Santos City, Sarangani, and South Cotabato, according to the Department of Education (DepEd). 

As of 6 a.m. on Sunday, DepEd said the estimated cost of infrastructure damages to these schools is at P111 million. 

Seven schools also incurred damage to equipment that included computers, furniture and other learning resources amounting to P29.4 million. 

These schools are located in Davao del Sur and Sarangani. 

Classes for Monday, November 20, have been suspended or will be held online in some areas due to the nationwide transport strike to be conducted by a transport group and the aftermath of the earthquake in Mindanao. —KG/RF, GMA Integrated News