OPAPRU mobilizes aid for ex-rebels affected by Mindanao earthquake

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) has activated its disaster response measures to assist former rebels and their families who were affected by the recent magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Sarangani.

In a statement on Tuesday, Presidential Adviser Mel Senen Sarmiento said OPAPRU has been coordinating with local disaster response teams and local government units to verify the status of former rebels who remain unreachable due to damaged communication lines.

He added that the agency is also coordinating with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and other concerned agencies to ensure that former rebels and their families receive relief assistance and psychosocial support services.

"When disasters strike, those who have already endured years of conflict and displacement often face greater challenges. By helping connect them to essential government services and assistance, we strengthen their resilience and reinforce their confidence in the peace process and in government institutions," Sarmiento said.

He added that OPAPRU will provide a report on the earthquake’s impact on former rebels, their families, communities, and former rebel-led People’s Organizations.

Sarmiento also expressed his condolences to those who have lost their loved ones to the earthquake.

Based on his conversation with Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua, Sarangani Province and General Santos City were among the hardest-hit areas, to which the BARMM provided relief assistance.

The reported death toll from the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck offshore Sarangani in Mindanao on Monday has increased to 37, the Office of Civil Defense said Tuesday.

As of 6 a.m., 33 deaths were reported in Soccsksargen (18 in Sarangani, 12 in General Santos City, and 3 in South Cotabato), while four deaths were reported in Davao Region.

A total of 456 persons were injured, and four individuals remained missing.

The earthquake has affected 17,689 families, or 77,186 individuals, across affected areas in Mindanao.

Search, rescue, and retrieval operations remain focused on General Santos City and Sarangani, among the hardest-hit areas.

General Santos City has been placed under a state of calamity. —Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA News