Mindanao: Government relief operations are in full swing across Mindanao as residents reel from successive strong earthquakes that struck the island in recent days, including the latest magnitude 6.0 tremor that hit Surigao del Sur late Saturday. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Saturday’s quake, which was earlier recorded at magnitude 6.2, occurred 28 kilometers northeast of Cagwait, Surigao del Sur. It was tectonic in origin and registered strong intensities in parts of Davao and Surigao provinces.
According to Philippines News Agency, authorities were still assessing structural damage in affected towns, including Tago, Surigao del Sur, where access to the Tago-Lapaz Bridge remained limited to light vehicles. In an advisory issued Sunday by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the bridge remained passable, but at one-at-a-time passage for all vehicles and with observance of no stopping zones while passing. ‘Heavy six-wheeler trucks are allowed only if unloaded while 10-wheeler trucks are advised to take alternate routes or wait for clearance,’ the advisory read.
As assessment and validation efforts continue, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) assured the public that relief assistance will remain uninterrupted to help families recover. DSWD-Caraga Region (DSWD-13) reported that more than 70,000 families or 253,938 individuals from 199 barangays across Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and Dinagat Islands were affected by the series of tremors.
The DSWD indicated that as of 4 a.m. on Oct. 12, all 2,933 families (11,317 individuals) who sought refuge in 58 evacuation centers have returned home, while nearly 7,000 families continue to stay with relatives and friends. The agency added that eight houses were completely destroyed and 696 others sustained partial damage. Humanitarian assistance sent to the affected residents has already reached PHP400,129.68, which included aids from other groups and organizations. It also reported the existing PHP168.7 million worth of relief resources on standby, including PHP2.7 million in standby funds and PHP166 million worth of food and non-food items.