DepEd engineers sent to quake-hit areas; Binay to dispatch K-9 units

THE Department of Education (DepEd) has sent its field engineers to Central and Western Visayas to determine the extent of the damage inflicted by Monday’s 6.9-magnitude earthquake on public schools.

A report from the DepEd Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office showed that a total of 74 schools were affected across Regions 6 (Western Visayas) and 7 (Central Visayas), including 55 elementary and 19 high schools in Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Cebu, Antique, Guihulngan, Talisay and Dumaguete City.

DepEd engineers were still checking how much damage the schools sustained although the department estimated the initial damage at P11.5 million.

“Validation on the extent and cost of damage is still (ongoing) with the DepEd engineering team.

Meanwhile, Vice President Jejomar Binay yesterday said he will dispatch K-9 units to Guihulngan City to assist in search and rescue operations in barangay Planas.

Binay said the two K-9 teams are composed of six extrication experts, two detection dogs and four handlers from the Philippine Search and Rescue Foundation and Makati K9/Rescue Unit.

The teams are equipped with a search camera and portable hydraulic equipment, said Binay.

He said the team participated in retrieval operations in other calamity-hit areas such as Guinsaugon, Leyte, where a landslide struck in 2006.

They were set to leave for Dumaguete yesterday via a C-130 military aircraft, the vice president said.

Relief goods are also en route to Negros Oriental, said Binay.

To date, the Office of the Vice President has sent 292 boxes of water each to the provincial government of Negros Oriental and the local government of Guihulngan. Fifty sacks of rice were also distributed in Guihulngan and 15 sacks were distributed in Jimalalud. /INQUIRER