OCD validating 7 reported fatalities due to Davao Occidental earthquake; hundreds given medical care

(UPDATE) The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said it was validating reports that seven individuals have been killed due to the magnitude 6.8 earthquake that struck Sarangani, Davao Occidental on Friday, Nov. 17.

OCD spokesperson Director Edgar Posadas said one of the casualties was reported in Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental in Davao Region (Region 11) while the other four were in Soccsksargen (Region 12) -- three in General Santos City, two in Glan, Sarangani; and one in Malapatan, Sarangani.

"Mayroon na tayo kahapon pero ipagpaumanhin niyo iva-validate pa namin ito -- sa Davao Occidental, sa Jose Abad Santos. Lalaki 'yun. Pero bukod doon, we have reports also from Region 12, from the PNP (We have [a casualty report] yesterday but we will still validate it -- from Davao Occidental, in the municipality of Jose Abad Santos. That was a male. Apart from that, we have reports also from Region 12, from the [Philippine National Police]," Posadas said in a radio interview with dzBB on Saturday, Nov. 18.

Meanwhile, two individuals from General Santos City were injured while two others were missing in the municipality of Glan. At least 450 persons were also given medical care due to hyperventilation and panic from Regions 11 and 12.

At the National Operations Center in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, the OCD raised the alert status of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to Code "Blue" to "closely coordinate, consolidate, and report all related incidents" and "ensure prompt coordination with concerned agencies and offices" following the powerful quake.

“Civil Defense officials at the national and regional level are closely monitoring the progress of the operations, [and] coordinating with the local government unit disaster managers. We have placed the NDRRM Operations Center under BLUE Alert, requiring the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, and Bureau of Fire Protection to render duty to support response activities,” OCD Administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said.

“We want to assure the residents of affected areas that, as instructed by President Marcos Jr. and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., the national government is on board and ready to provide necessary assistance,” he added.

The earthquake, previously reported to be at magnitude 7.2, struck off the coast of Sarangani at 4:14 p.m. Friday and was felt in many areas in Mindanao. Its epicenter was located at 34 km northwest of Sarangani Island with a 72-km depth of focus and tectonic origin.

Power outage

So far, the OCD was collating reports from its regional offices in Davao Region and Soccsksargen.

As of writing, reported impacts of the earthquake include power outage in General Santos City and Lebak, Sultan Kudarat.

"Minsan kapag may pagyanig na ganoon, may napuputol na linya at medyo naapektuhan. Kapag nare-energize 'yun, lalong nagkakaproblema dahil nagkakasunog tayo. We do not want to speculate, siguro dahil lang sa lakas ng lindol at malawakang area na naapektuhan (Sometimes in case of an earthquake of that magnitude, power lines are affected and cut. If these were re-energized, it will cause more problems like fire. We do not want to speculate, probably it was cut because of the impact of the earthquake and the wide area affected by it)," Posadas said.

There was also a school and several houses damaged by the shaking in Sarangani where the epicenter of the quake was located.

Malls that were severely impacted by the earthquake will also remain closed pending the results of inspection by technical experts, according to Posadas.

Several videos and photos circulated on social media showing the extent of damage in some malls in Sarangani.

"Standard operating procedure 'yan na kapag may ganito, isasara muna until ma-assess at madeclare ng experts na safe na ulit (It's a standard operating procedure that in cases like this, they will be closed until after they are assessed and experts declare that the facilities are safe to operate)," Posadas explained.

Meanwhile, the Davao International Airport, Cotabato Airport, and Mati Airport in the affected regions were also deemed unaffected despite the strong rumbling, according to Posadas.

"Napakavital ng mga paliparan na 'yun. Kung sakaling mayroong kailangan ng tulong na dapat ipadala from the national level, mapapadala natin nang mas mabilis by air (Those airports are very vital. If we need to transport relief assistance from the national level, we can do so via air travel so it is faster)," he noted.

The NDRRM Operations Center earlier disseminated an emergency alert and warning message (EAWM) to the provinces of Davao Occidental, Davao del Sur, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Cotabato to advise the communities to take precautionary measures in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Further, no tsunami threat exists based on available sea-level data provided by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).