14 LGUs declare state of calamity after Mindanao earthquake - OCD

Fourteen local government units have declared a state of calamity following the destructive magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Mindanao last June 8, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said Monday.

“Mayroon na po tayong 14 na local government units from Davao Occidental, Sarangani and South Cotabato na nag-declare ng state of calamity, because of this declaration ay mapapabilis po ang mga procurement ng mga LGUs natin para makabili ng mga relief goods and of course pag-conduct ng mga response and early recovery interventions, isa po iyan,” said OCD deputy administrator Bernardo Alejandro IV in a “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” briefing.

(We now have 14 local government units from Davao Occidental, Sarangani, and South Cotabato that have declared a state of calamity, and because of this declaration, the procurement for our LGUs will be expedited to purchase relief goods, and of course, for the conduct of response and early recovery interventions; that is one thing.)

The OCD added that the declaration of state of calamity also led to a price freeze on basic commodities in the affected areas.

“And another one po, because of this declaration, mayroon po tayong price freeze na pinapatupad doon sa areas na apektado nitong lindol, kaya dapat hindi po tumataas ang mga presyo ng mga basic commodities. Ang pinakaimportante po dito, it will hasten or fast track iyong pagbibigay-tulong ng gobyerno dito sa mga affected na communities,” said Alejandro.

(And another thing, because of this declaration, we have a price freeze implemented in the areas affected by this earthquake, so the prices of basic commodities should not rise. The most important thing here is that it will hasten or fast-track the government's provision of assistance to these affected communities.)

“So with this declaration po, nakakatulong po ito in terms of our procurement and accounting procedures po.”

(So with this declaration, it helps in terms of our procurement and accounting procedures.)

A total of 176,186 families, or 736,386 individuals, were affected by the June 8 earthquake, and the death toll rose to 65, latest data by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) showed.

The intense earthquake also damaged 57,252 homes, over 10,000 of which were completely ruined, the NDRRMC added.

For its part, the OCD said that it will be a challenge to rebuild the damaged houses.

“Ang hamon natin dito is how to immediately rebuild their houses, tapos ang isa pa diyan na tinitingnan natin, safe pa ba sila mag-rebuild doon sa existing area nila. So isa po iyan sa tiningnan ng MGB (Mines and Geosciences Bureau) kasi po kung hindi na po safe doon sa lugar nila ngayon, we have to relocate them and construct new houses elsewhere,” said Alejandro.

(Our challenge here is how to immediately rebuild their houses, and another thing we are looking at is whether it is still safe for them to rebuild in their existing area. That is one of the things being looked at by the MGB (Mines and Geosciences Bureau) because if it is no longer safe in their current location, we have to relocate them and construct new houses elsewhere.) —Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA News