Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23) — Rebuilding operations for homes and infrastructure damaged by the massive magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Mindanao last week will be put on hold until aftershocks subside, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said during his visit to the hard-hit General Santos City on Thursday.
READ: Magnitude 6.8 quake hits waters off Sarangani
Disaster officials said that there were nine reported deaths, 30 injuries, at least 8,903 families or 41,818 individuals affected.
They also reported that 252 infrastructures and 4,623 houses were damaged.
Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa, citing figures provided by the Office of Civil Defense during the Department of National Defense’s budget hearing, said schools in the affected regions reported damage amounting to around ₱152 million.
\”Pati ‘yung mga rebuilding, hindi pa natin puwedeng simulan dahil may aftershocks pa. Ang problema sa lindol, walang forecast, hindi natin alam kung ano ang mangyayari,\” Marcos said in an interview.
[Translation: We can’t start rebuilding because there are still aftershocks. The problem with earthquakes, there is no forecast, we don’t know when these will occur.]
On Thursday, shortly before Marcos’ visit to General Santos and Sarangani, a magnitude 5 earthquake shook Glan town in Sarangani. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said this was an aftershock of the tremors that shook Davao Occidental on Nov. 17.
\”But mayroon tayong lahat ng assistance, pangangailangan ng mga inabutan, ‘yung mga nawalan ng bahay, yung mga mangingisda, yung mga injured, lahat ‘yan patuloy na magbibigay ang DSWD [Department of Social Welfare and Development] ng assistance,\” Marcos continued.
[Translation: But we have all the assistance, the needs of the affected, those who lost their homes, fisherfolk, injured, all of this will be taken care of by the DSWD.]
The DSWD last Saturday said it would provide both cash and non-cash aid — including food, kitchen kits, hygiene kits, and sleeping kits — to victims of the massive quake.
