Nine persons have been killed in the magnitude-6.9 earthquake that shook Davao del Sur and adjacent provinces last week, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said yesterday.
NDRRMC chief Ricardo Jalad said the fatalities are from Davao region (Region 11) and Socsargen area (South Cotabato, Sarangani, and General Santos City or Region 12).
Eight of the fatalities were from six towns in Region 11 while the ninth is from M’lang, North Cotabato in Region 12, NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal said.
Three of them were from the collapsed Southern Trade Shopping Center in Padada, Davao del Sur. One fatality each was recorded in Magsaysay, Matanao, Bansalan, Malita and Hagonoy, all in Davao del Sur.
The latest casualty is Romeo Sulop, a 10-year-old boy from Malita, who was hit by a falling tree. The other fatalities are Elsa Ababon, Evangeline Artiaga, and Emily Beloy from Padada; Cherbel Chen Gador and Juliana Cagas from Matanao; Fernando Balitayo from Magsaysay; Carlito Ibon from Hagonoy; and Elias Degamon from Bansalan.
One-hundred eleven persons were injured – 99 in Region 11 and 12 in Region 12. One person was reported missing in Sarangani last Sunday. Search and rescue operations are ongoing for the missing person.
The earthquake damaged 128 schools in 26 areas in Regions 11 and 12. Nineteen health facilities also sustained partial damages in the two regions while 41 other public infrastructures were either totally or partially damaged.
Jalad said relief efforts are being conducted in the affected areas.
Some 500 tarpaulins and two generator sets have been sent to the local government unit of Kiblawan, Davao del Sur for temporary shelters and electric power to residents in evacuation centers.
Three-hundred ninety-two sacks of rice have been delivered to the Department of Social Welfare and Development Region 11 for repacking.
Search and retrieval operations at the collapsed South Green Marketing building in Padada, Davao del Sur has been terminated.
Office of Civil Defense Region 11 operations head Franz Irag said Padada Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officer Engr. Luke Cadoyas halted operations at 8:20 p.m. last Dec. 17 as there are no more signs of any person buried inside.
Beloy, who was believed to be alive last Monday, was found dead inside the commercial building around 9:55 p.m. on Dec. 16.
Beloy, who was named previously identified as Emily Gollegos, was an employee of the establishment. Beloy reportedly sent a text message to her workmate Juvelyn Cabatbat that she was still alive along with other six persons.
With Beloy found dead in the building, responders presumed that the other six were also dead, leading to the change of operations to retrieval at 10 a.m. on Dec. 17.
Irag, however, said the debris clearing operation at the building will continue.
Meanwhile, a moderately strong aftershock measuring magnitude-5.3 shook Davao del Sur before dawn yesterday.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recorded the earthquake around 4:18 a.m. and traced its epicenter 28 kilometers southeast of Padada.This is the strongest aftershock triggered by the magnitude-6.9 main shock.
It was felt as a “strong” tremor at Intensity 5 in Digos City and as a “moderately strong” earthquake at Intensity 4 in General Santos City.
Hours later at around 8:22 a.m., a light earthquake with magnitude 4.8 jolted Davao del Sur. Phivolcs traced the origin of the aftershock at two kilometers southwest of Magsaysay, Davao del Sur.
It was felt at Intensity 4 in Bansalan and Digos City in Davao del Sur. Davao City felt the tremor as a “slight” shaking at Intensity 2.
Phivolcs said the aftershocks were tectonic in origin, which were caused by the movement of an active fault in the area. The tremors occurred at shallow depths, thus, the strong shaking. (Martin Sadongdong, Armando Fenequito, and Ellalyn V. Ruiz)
