AFTERMATH | The village hall of Barangay Bukal in Nabunturan, Davao de Oro, is among the structures damaged by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake that hit the province on March 7. (Photo by LOU BARILLO MILANE / Contri
TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte, Philippines — The series of moderate to strong quakes that rocked Davao de Oro province in two consecutive days last week damaged P265 million worth of properties and infrastructure, and affected 229,647 families, prompting the provincial board to place the province under a state of calamity.
Vice Gov. Jayvee Tyron Uy said the declaration, recommended by the provincial disaster risk reduction management council led by Gov. Dorothy Gonzaga, would facilitate the release of funds to address the urgent needs of affected families and help in recovery efforts.
Two of the hardest-hit towns, New Bataan and Maragusan, which felt the strongest shaking at Intensity 6, had declared a state of calamity in their respective areas recently. The provincial government monitored more than 3,000 houses and 160 school buildings damaged or destroyed by the quakes.
The moderate to strong ground shaking began early morning on March 6 when the quakes, at magnitude 4.9 and magnitude 5.3, struck barely five hours apart. The following day, another two strong quakes, at magnitude 5.9 and magnitude 5.6, struck only three hours apart.
Displaced
The local government of Maragusan counted 1,263 families (5,048 people) affected in 19 barangays. Of these, 267 families were displaced as threats of landslides in Barangays Paloc, Tandik, Katipunan, Talian and Mahayahay prompted them to leave their homes and seek refuge in evacuation sites.
The provincial government, according to the resolution, recognized the need to fund and undertake “critical, urgent and appropriate disaster risk reduction programs, projects and activities to alleviate the impacts caused by the earthquake.”
On the day that the earthquake struck, Davao de Oro was supposed to hold the last day of its Bulawan Festival, a celebration of the province’s 25th founding anniversary. The earthquake prompted Gonzaga to cancel most of the events.