The Makati city government is giving P24 million in financial assistance to local government units affected by the series of earthquakes in the past weeks in Davao del Sur and North Cotabato.
The Makati Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, chaired by Mayor Abigail Binay, approved the financial assistance in a meeting Friday morning at City Hall.
Binay said she convened the council for an emergency meeting to expedite the release of financial aid to affected localities in Mindanao.
On Thursday, health officials in Makilala, North Cotabato, reported that a six-month-old girl died of dehydration at an evacuation center. Official cited the lack of safe drinking water in the town’s evacuation centers for the death.
“The City of Makati empathizes with the victims of the recent earthquakes, and we would like to help them get back on their feet as soon as possible,” Binay said. “Aside from financial aid, we will also share whatever resources we can spare.”
Binay said Makati will also donate school supplies to affected students in the two provinces. She also said the city may deploy psycho-social support teams to conduct stress debriefing and help the victims recover from their traumatic experience.
Also present during the meeting were City Administrator Atty. Claro Certeza, City Legal Officer Atty. Michael Camiña, DILG-Makati Director Atty. Cherry Melodias, and Councilor Jojo Javier, among other DRRM Council members.
Under the Philippine DRRM Act of 2010, the local DRRM Council may transfer funds to support other local government units which are declared under a state of calamity, upon the approval of the Sanggunian concerned.
The city chief executive said she expected the financial assistance to be included in the agenda of the Sangguniang Panlungsod in its regular session next week.
The city of Valenzuela, meanwhile, has approved financial assistance of P22 million for Cotabato and Davao del Sur.
The city’s Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council convened on Oct. 30, 2019, immediately after a 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck the island of Mindanao.
Meanwhile, earthquakes shook Eastern Samar and Sultan Kudarat Friday afternoon.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the first quake, at 5.1 magnitude, was recorded around 1:31 p.m., 33 kilometers west of the city of Guiuan, with a depth of three kilometers.
A second magnitude 4.1 quake was felt seven minutes later, 16 kilometers east of Columbio.
PHILVOLCS warned of aftershocks in Sultan Kudarat.
The number of families affected by the magnitude 6.6 and 6.5 earthquakes that rocked Tulunan, North Cotabato last Oct. 29 and 31 has climbed to 52,195 or around 260,286 persons, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said in its 6 a.m. update Friday.
These figures are significantly higher than the 50,930 families reported on Thursday.
The report, signed and released by NDRRMC Executive Director Ricardo Jalad, added that 10, 276 families or 49,183 individuals are now being sheltered in 59 evacuation centers while another 8,799 families or 43,945 persons are being aided outside.
The NDRRMC added that all the affected families are residents of 301 barangays in Davao and SOCCSKSARGEN regions.
As of this posting, the number of dead listed in NDRRMC records is still at 21, along with 417 injured and two others missing in Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, SOCCSKSARGEN and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The number of damaged structures was placed at 37,340, higher than the 36,006 reported Thursday, and these are from Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, SOCCSKSARGEN and the BARMM.
Assistance extended to the affected families by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health and Office of Civil Defense has amounted to P50.59 million.
On Thursday, Makilala municipal health officer Dr. Georgina Sorilla said baby Windcesz Arella Piala died after developing rashes in her body and suffering diarrhea.
“The parents, with the aid of health volunteers, rushed the child to a local hospital but [she] was declared dead upon arrival,” Sorilla said in a radio interview.
The doctors said the child experienced severe diarrhea due to the cramped living condition inside tents at the evacuation center in Purok Lubi, New Bulatukan, Makilala.
“The lack of safe drinking water and basic daily needs of evacuees in makeshift shelters also added to the child’s deteriorating condition,” Sorilla said.
She advised parents at evacuation centers to coordinate with assigned health volunteers in their location to avoid a repetition of the incident.
“We must help one another in these trying times,” Sorilla said. With PNA