DAVAO CITY – At least two bodies were retrieved Monday morning from a three-story commercial building in Padada town, Davao de Sur, that collapsed when a 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck parts of Mindnao on Sunday.
According to Fire Senior Supt. Fred Trajeras, regional director of the Bureau of Fire Protection 11, aside from the two bodies retrieved, they also saw another body inside the building of Southern Green Marketing.
The two were identified as Elsa Ababon, 57, and Evangeline Artiaga, 67. Their bodies were pulled out from the rubbles of the building.
“We still have one na kitang kita pa,” Trajeras told reporters during a live interview with reporters in Barangay Poblacion in Padada.
Trajeras said they were able to contact one Jovelyn Cabatbat who informed them that Emily Gollegos, one of those trapped inside the collapsed building, managed to send them a message, telling them that there were still six of them inside.
Trajeras, however, said they cannot yet ascertain the exact number of those who were still alive.
He said that they were prioritizing to rescue those who were trapped. Authorities were still conducting search, rescue and retrieval operation as of Monday afternoon.
DEATH TOLL RISES TO 5
The recovery of the two bodies has brought to five the number of quake fatalities, officials said. A six-year old girl died after being hit by falling debris in Matanao town, Sunday.
Another fatality was recorded in Hagonoy town, but the identity has yet to be validated. A report said a woman estimated to be in her late 70s died after suffering from cardiac arrest in Magsaysay town.
Meanwhile, Engineer Luke Cadoyas, Padada Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management officer, said the structure had withstood the series of moderate to strong quakes that struck Mindanao in October.
However, the liquefaction resulting from the 6.9-magnitude earthquake Sunday afternoon which passed through the commercial establishment caused it to collapse.
The earthquake’s location was traced six kilometers northwest of Padada.
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) executive director Ricardo Jalad said the Davao Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (RDRRMO) immediately raised its alert from “blue” to “red” after the powerful quake that destroyed houses, markets, schools and other public infrastructures.
Jalad said strong aftershocks that were continuously felt in Davao del Sur were hampering the rescue operations. The rescue operations had to be suspended on Monday morning due to aftershocks.
According to Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) science research assistant Gail Rivera, 957 aftershocks ranging between 1.4-magnitude and 5.2-magnitude were recorded as of 5 a.m., Monday.
Of these aftershocks, Rivera said 130 were plotted close to the epicenter of the 6.9-magnitude earthquake in the municipality of Matanao, Davao del Sur. At least 41 tremors were felt.
The strongest aftershock with a magnitude of 5.2 was documented at around 3:09 p.m. last Sunday.
Jalad said 315 houses in Davao Region also sustained partial damages.
Further, at least 22 infrastructures in Davao Region and Soccsksargen (South Cotabatao, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City or Region 12) were damaged by the quake.
Also damaged in Davao del Sur include the municipal police station, municipal hall, Maria Cleta National High School, Gaisano Mall of Digos, and Padada Church in Padada town; barangay hall at Barangay Poblacion in Matanao town; municipal police station and Nadilla Elementary School in Kiblawan town; municipal hall of Magsaysay town; Sinayawan Barangay gymnasium, Sangguniang Bayan building, Hagonoy National High School and municipal hall of Hagonoy town; Viacrusis Hospital in Bansalan town; Sangguniang Panlalawigan and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) buildings in Digos City; and Davao Doctors Hospital in Davao City.
In Region 12, among the damaged structures include the PAMANA Project multi-purpose building in Mlang town, and public market and mini-gymnasium in Talus Elementary School in Malandang town, both in Cotabato province.
In Saranggani province, the Evangelical Church in Kityan Daku town was also totally damaged.
Twelve areas in Davao del Sur, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato and General Santos City also experienced power outages after the quake. Electric power in almost all areas have since returned except in Padada, Davao del Sur, as of Monday.
ANOTHER FAULT
Phivolcs is currently looking into the Tangbulan Fault as the possible source of the 6.9-magnitude earthquake in Davao del sur on December 15, according to science research specialist Erlinton Olavere.
“Tangbulan Fault is the closest earthquake fault to the epicenter in the municipality of Matanao and Padada, Davao del Sur,” he said.
“Cotabato Fault System, which caused the earthquakes in October, is on the other side of the Tangbulan Fault. Most likely we are looking at another earthquake fault that caused the strong tremor in Mindanao last Sunday,” he pointed out.
Phivolcs has already sent additional teams of experts to focus the investigation on the Tangbulan Fault.
Olavere said Phivolcs will still investigate the possible relation of the 6.9-magnitude earthquake to the strong tremors in October, as roughly the same area of Mindanao between October and December, felt the earthquakes.
The 6.9-magnitude shallow quake was the fifth one above magnitude 6 that rocked Mindanao in the past two months. Strong earthquakes occurred in Cotabato and nearby provinces on October 16 (6.3-magnitude), October 29 (6.6 and 6.1-magnitude), and October 31 (6.5-magnitude).
“We can say that this is an unusual event because in almost two months the people in Mindanao have experienced big earthquake events. We are continuously studying any possible trend of seismic activity to make sure that we are experiencing an unusual occurrence of strong earthquakes in a specific area within a short period of time,” Olavere explained.
“Aftershocks from time to time could continue for days to weeks,” he said.
Although chances remain low, Phivolcs is not discounting the possible occurrence of a 7.2-magnitude tremor, which is the maximum earthquake magnitude the Tangbulan Fault could generate. (With reports from Ellalyn Ruiz, Zea Capistrano, Armando Fenequito Jr., and Martin Sadongdong)
