THE Vivaldi Residences Davao in Davao City was among the buildings damaged by Monday’s earthquake. (Keith Bacongco)
DAVAO CITY – Twenty-nine buildings here sustained damage in Monday’s earthquake.
The Office of the City Building Official placed seven structures under red tag and 22 under yellow tag status after quick inspections following the magnitude-7.8 tremor which also affected the Davao region.
In a public advisory on Wednesday, June 10, the city government said red-tagged buildings are now under an occupancy-prohibited status as of June 9, meaning entry and use are not allowed due to severe damage and safety risks.
Among those listed under red-tag status were Teleperformance Office and VXI Office, both part of the SM City Davao; Linmarr Towers; Bangkal Dormitory; EastWest at AC Premium; Vivaldi Residences Davao; and Madayaw Residences Building B5.
Yellow-tagged buildings are under restricted use due to moderate damage and need repairs before they can be fully occupied again. Some areas may still be used under controlled conditions, as approved by the OCBO.
The yellow-tag list included portions of Magallanes Residences in Barcelona and Valencia, Felcris Centrale, Verdon Parc, Alorica, NCCC Buhangin, SSS Medical Building, Abreeza Mall, Pinnacle Hotel and Suites, Avida Towers, Gaisano Mall of Davao,
BPI AC Premium, The Paragon Davao, AC Premium, Palmetto Place Buildings 2 and 3, United Davao Specialists Hospital and Medical Center, several Madayaw Residences buildings, Coffee Bar in Small Toril, and Gaisano Grand Citygate.
The Davao City government emphasized that all concerned establishments must strictly comply with the conditions and safety requirements set by the OCBO before re-occupancy is allowed.
It added that inspections of other establishments with reported visible cracks are still ongoing and jointly conducted by the OCBO and the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers-Davao City Chapter.
Meanwhile, data released by the Davao Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council as of 9 a.m. on June 10 showed that 12 people were killed, 41 injured, and 13 were missing in the earthquake in the Davao region.
Fifty-seven barangays and 8,694 families or 36,056 persons were affected, with 1,332 families or 4,455 persons staying in 10 evacuation centers and seven families or 35 persons staying outside evacuation centers.
Six landslides were recorded in Sarangani and Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental. A total of 578 houses were damaged, 40 partially damaged and 538 totally.
The Davao RDRRMC said that damage to infrastructure has reached P500,000. No agricultural or other asset losses were recorded. Work suspensions were reported in 12 local government units while classes were suspended in 49 LGUs.
Disruptions to lifelines and public services were recorded, including damage to 16 roads, three bridges, seven power connections, and two seaports. One electrical post was reported damaged in Davao del Norte.
The council said humanitarian assistance and disaster response have reached P2.04 million, consisting of food and non-food items from the Department of Social Welfare and Development-11 and Office of Civil Defense-11.
Authorities said actions included continuous coordination and monitoring with local disaster offices, raising the regional emergency operations center alert status to red, activating response clusters, and disseminating advisories.
The RDRRMC noted the issuance of early warning messages, the suspension of work and classes in affected areas, the distribution of food and non-food items, the deployment of air assets, and the conduct of response cluster meetings.
Army 10th Infantry Division commander Major Gen. Alvin Luzon led the aerial Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis on June 9 in earthquake-hit areas of Jose Abad Santos and Balut Island in Sarangani and Davao Occidental.
Representatives from the OCD, DSWD, the Davao Occidental Provincial DRRMO, and local government units joined the assessment.
Luzon said the mission supported ongoing humanitarian and disaster response operations in General Santos City and nearby areas, where troops continue search and rescue, assessment, road clearing, and coordination with local governments.
A Philippine Air Force Black Hawk helicopter carried out air casualty evacuation, transporting four rescued residents from Balut Island for treatment.
Luzon stressed the importance of unity and coordination in disaster response, saying the Armed Forces of the Philippines remains committed to helping affected communities and supporting recovery efforts.
He said that additional troops have been deployed to heavily affected barangays in Davao Occidental, especially in areas where roads remain impassable, to ensure aid reaches those in need.