Mandaue City gov’t sends aid to quake-hit Surigao

Patients spend the night outside a hospital after abandoning their rooms following a powerful earthquake that rocked Surigao city, Surigao del Norte province, in the southern Philippines, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017. AP

CEBU CITY–The Mandaue City government is sending financial aid to Surigao City to help the local government unit and the families of those affected by the 6.7-magnitude earthquake on Friday night.

“Speechless at the devastation in Surigao City due to the earthquake. It brought back the terrible memories of our own earthquake a few years back,” said Mandaue City Mayor Luigi Quisumbing in a Facebook post on Saturday morning.

“The City of Mandaue condoles with our brothers and sisters in Surigao City and we are with you as you begin the road to recovery. Vice Mayor Carlo (Fortuna) and I have agreed to send financial assistance as our small gesture of solidarity for their reconstruction effort,” added Quisumbing’s post.

Fortuna said that the city is setting aside at least P100,000 in financial assistance to Surigao City.

He said council members will discuss during the regular session on Wednesday about passing a resolution, authorizing Quisumbing to set aside and provide financial assistance to Surigao City.

Fortuna said he will also discuss with Quisumbing if there was a need to also send city disaster personnel to help in ongoing rescue operations.

READ: Death toll in Surigao earthquake rises to 6

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake hit Surigao City shortly after 10 p.m. on Friday. At least six persons were reported dead while over a hundred were treated in hospitals.

Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak said the city government has yet to decide whether or not to send aid to Surigao City.

Nagiel Bañacia, head of the Cebu City’s Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (DRRMO), said that his sister injured her left shoulder after a cabinet fell on her during the earthquake.

Bañacia is a native of Surigao City.

“Thank God my 2 nieces escaped unharmed including my parents and siblings. But, the houses of my aunt and uncle were damaged. Still checking on the condition of my other relatives,” Bañacia said in a status he posted on his Facebook account at around 4 a.m. on Saturday.

Bañacia, who traveled to Taiwan with Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, said he was saddened that he couldn’t do anything for his family while he was away.

He added that an earthquake also hit Kaoshiung where he and Osmeña were booked in a hotel at 1:14 a.m. on Saturday

“We experienced strong earthquake here too. The earth moved at about 1:14 a.m. I was with Mayor Tomas Osmeña with other delegates at the 42nd floor of the hotel. It was quite scary,” said Bañacia’s FB post. CDG