DAVAO CITY – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., through Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Secretary Antonio Lagdameo Jr., has directed the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Eastern Mindanao (OPAMINE) to address all concerns in Mindanao following the magnitude-6.8 earthquake in the Davao region on Friday, November 17.
HANDOUT photo obtained on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, from the Facebook page of Justin Kyle T. Imperial shows a landslide in Malapatan in Sarangani after a strong magnitude-6.8 earthquake shook Mindanao. (Handout/Justin Kyle T. Imperial/AFP)
Presidential Assistant for Eastern Mindanao Leo Tereso A. Magno has collaborated with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in impacted regions and other government agencies to evaluate the situation in the aftermath of the earthquake.
"I am coordinating the whole afternoon. The instruction (of President Marcos) is to make sure all concerns are addressed right away," Magno said as he encouraged the people to remain calm and alert and practice the duck, cover, and hold when an earthquake occurs.
Vice President Sara Duterte, in her official Facebook page, also urged the people to stay calm and check their houses and buildings to prepare for damage and prepare for aftershocks.
She added that they have coordinated with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) for response efforts.
Disaster response officials reported on Saturday, November 18, seven fatalities, two injuries, and two missing individuals from the earthquake.
In Sarangani, water in the coastline of Alabel has receded while the Malapatan-Glan Highway is impassable to four-wheel vehicles due to a landslide and some infrastructure was damaged in some areas.
In General Santos City, seawater has also receded. A stampede occurred in the Golden State College involving more or less 250 students and three people died when the concrete wall of a house collapsed.
People were taken to hospitals but were later released with no serious injury. A mall in General Santos City reported that a roof collapsed and a wall was damaged.
In Tampakan, South Cotabato, an old funeral house collapsed and one vehicle was destroyed. Two malls in Koronadal City sustained wall and tile flooring damage.
Nine houses in Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental were partially damaged. There were minor cracks in schools for validation.
In Davao City, the OCD reported that 174 individuals living near the Paragon Tower were temporarily evacuated to Barangay Bucana Hall before the crane on top of the building collapsed. People from Lingap Toril also evacuated to safer areas.
The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC), through the OCD, has raised the alert status of its Emergency Operation Center to red alert to intensify close monitoring of Davao region and ensure immediate mobilization of resources from the regional level.
All the local DRRM offices and RDRRMC member-agencies have been directed to closely monitor their areas of responsibility and coordinate with the RDRRMC for immediate response actions, when necessary.