Davao del Sur, Gensan declare calamity state due to quake

DIGOS CITY—The 6.3-magnitude quake that jolted Cotabato province and a large part of Mindanao on Oct. 16 claimed the life of its eighth victim in Magsaysay town even as Davao del Sur province and General Santos City placed their respective areas under a state of calamity.

Anthony Allada, Magsaysay information officer, said the latest victim, Rosita Botilla Quillla, died in a Davao City hospital a week after she was rescued from a pile of debris that buried her on Oct. 16.

Earlier, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported fatalities from the quake in the towns of M’lang, Alamada and Makilala in Cotabato, and Datu Paglas in Maguindanao province.

The provincial board of Davao del Sur passed a resolution declaring the entire province under state of calamity due to severe devastation brought by the quake.

In General Santos City, the local council also placed the city under state of calamity to hasten the release of calamity funds that would help 1,300 employees rendered jobless by a mall fire triggered by the quake.

Mayor Ronnel Rivera said the declaration would pave the way for city hall to use P20 million for financial aid to the displaced workers. He said the number of displaced employees and their dependents had reached 2,500, based on data from the city’s social welfare department.
Malls, stores reopened

On Wednesday night, the city government tendered a dinner for the firefighters and volunteers who responded to the fire at the Gaisano Mall.

Some of the malls and department stores in Digos had reopened, more than a week after they were ordered closed by the city government.

The Gaisano Center, Gaisano Mall grocery and department store, Gaisano Grand Mall, Unitop and Digos Central Warehouse Club were back to business after they were cleared by the city government.

Digos Mayor Josef Cagas said two more department stores still remained closed as they still had to address some major defects that may pose danger to customers and mall employees.

He said the engineering office found the cantilever and facade of their buildings to be showing signs of wear that could lead to a possible collapse if left unchecked.

City engineer, Salvador Dumogho, said inspection in the severely damaged school building at Cor Jesu College was ongoing. “There is a possibility that one of the buildings will be declared unfit for occupancy,” Dumogho said.

The towns of Magsaysay, Bansalan and Matanao in Davao del Sur earlier placed their areas under a state of calamity following the severe damage suffered from the quake.