Displaced GenSan residents forced to stay in vacant lots after Mindanao earthquake

Some displaced residents in General Santos City were forced to stay in vacant lots after the magnitude 7.8 earthquake Monday destroyed their homes.

In a report of Emil Sumangil on “24 Oras” on Tuesday, several houses in a subdivision in Barangay Lagao were rendered almost unlivable due to the damage they sustained.

“Ayun bumagsak talaga ayan ang tiles namin, tapos ito yung kusina namin… nabasag na mga plato namin… sira na talaga yung bahay namin, sir” Alice Baba, a former Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) said.

(There it is, our tiles completely collapsed, and then over here is our kitchen… our plates are all broken… This is it, our house is completely ruined.)

“‘Yung kisame naano talaga oh bumagsak yung kisame. Magdamag akong hindi nakatulog parang nandito pa ‘yung sigaw ng anak ko,” she added.

(The ceiling completely collapsed. I wasn't able to sleep all night—it feels like I can still hear my child screaming.)

The house was built from her years of hard work as an OFW. Sumangil said her family can no longer use it because of the damage it sustained from the tremor.

The neighborhood has neither electricity nor water. Some residents are asking for assistance to rebuild their homes.

One house’s kitchen appears to hve separated from the main house and tilted to the side, causing the ceiling to split open.

Temporarily, affected residents were forced to stay on vacant lots under tents or makeshift shelters.

A tree was completely uprooted and toppled over, crushing the fence of the neighboring property.

Meanwhile, structural pillars of a house collapsed, causing the entire home to tilt to one side.

Members of the Bureau of Fire Protection have been conducting mapping operations on severely damaged structures. —Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/RF, GMA News