Quake-hit Magsaysay town getting back on its feet

MAGSAYSAY, DAVAO DEL SUR — Three months after being hit by a series of powerful earthquakes, this town is slowly rising to its feet.

Although its damaged seat of government has yet to be rehabilitated, Mayor Arthur Davin said Magsaysay has “regained the strength” to move forward from the devastation.

Davin cited the quake-displaced families’ going about their usual or newly started livelihoods, making them less dependent on government support.

“They are toiling [in] their farms during daytime but for safety reasons, most of them are [still] staying in the temporary evacuation sites during night time. But they are no longer fully dependent on food from the local government,” Davin said.

He said psychosocial initiatives continued to be provided to displaced families to help them cope, even as a good period of time had passed since the series of earthquakes that hit central Mindanao late last year.

Some 2,002 families were displaced by the October and December quakes that rocked this town, accounting for close to 20 percent of its total household population.

A relocation site was purchased for the local government by the Dumper party-list group.

A total of 15 relocation sites have been planned to accommodate the displaced families. —ELDIE S. AGUIRRE INQ