Residents of Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental have complained about the classification of houses partially and totally damaged by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake, which serves as the basis for financial assistance.

According to a report by GMA Super Radyo Davao, Mayor Jason John Joyce said frontliners such as barangay officials and local government personnel have been overwhelmed by the influx of complaints.

Through his Facebook page, Joyce explained that the “totally damaged” category applies to residents whose houses are no longer livable, which qualifies them for higher assistance of P10,000, compared to P5,000 for “partially damaged” homes that only need repairs.

However, Joyce admitted that there were “errors” in the data, noting that the national government only gave three days for the Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis in each barangay.

He said that mistakes were unavoidable not only because of the rushed process, but also because the officials were affected by the disaster.

The mayor added that during the disaster, some barangays were inaccessible for assessment, so authorities relied solely on barangay officials’ records, which were used for the Emergency Cash Transfer program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and other assistance from government agencies.