AID for quake victims in Sarangani. (Photo via Keith Bacongco)
DAVAO CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region-12 has sent relief aid to the coastal town of Glan in Sarangani cut off by roads and bridges destroyed by the magnitude-7.8 earthquake Monday.
DSWD Region-12 chief Loreto Cabaya Jr. said that they have utilized Philippine Air Force Blackhawk helicopters to airlift an initial 200 food packs for affected residents.
The DSWD utilized PAF air assets and sea assets of the Philippine Coast or Philippine Navy to deliver relief aid to isolated areas like Glan as there is no definite time yet when the roads will be accessible again.
Office of Civil Defense Region-12 chief Rodrigo Sosmeña said that Glan is the most affected town in Sarangani as 17 deaths and major damage have been reported.
Sosmeña said that the OCD has prioritized Glan for assistance and assessments, adding that he has already dispatched a Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA) team.
He added that the agency also deployed a team from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to support the communications needs of the local government.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office in Sarangani confirmed that the town of Glan remains cut off from neighboring towns Malapatan and Jose Abad Santos in Davao Occidental.
The PDRRMO confirmed receiving the report of 17 fatalities due to the earthquake.
The local government of Glan has not yet reported on the total number of affected families and number of structures damaged from the earthquake due to erratic telecommunication signals in the area.
Glan is one of the closest towns to the offshore epicenter of the earthquake 33 kilometers west of Maasim.
The PDRRMO said that at least 3,300 families have been affected by the earthquake in the province.