SEARCH and retrieval operations in Jose Abad Santos. (CGDSEM Photo)
DAVAO CITY – Two weeks since the magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck, responders are still digging through the dirt and rubble to retrieve 13 persons missing in the hinterland barangays of Jose Abad Santos (JAS), Davao Occidental.
A report from the JAS Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) showed that seven persons were killed and 40 others were missing in the June 8 earthquake.
JAS information officer Julie Marie Buen said eight of the missing persons are from Barangay Patulang; two each from Barangays Bukid and San Isidro, and another in Butulan.
Buen said the search and retrieval operation teams are from MDRRMO, Management of the Dead and Missing (MDM) Team of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine National Police, and Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The coastal town of JAS, which shares its boundary with Glan in Sarangani province, is the most-affected town in Davao Occidental followed by Sarangani Island (Balut).
The MDRRMO said the earthquake has affected 22, 576 families and damaged 6,700 houses. It added that 2,648 houses were totally damaged. The tremor damaged 405 classrooms and 16 barangay halls.
Buen said that 4,333 families are still in evacuation centers and in need of sleeping mats, blankets, solar-powered lights, and tents.
Meanwhile, JAS Mayor Jason John Joyce advised that the fastest way to bring help to the municipality is through the neighboring town of Glan.
Joyce said it would take only two hours to reach the southern part of JAS from Glan. The southern parts of JAS are the most affected by the earthquake due to proximity to the offshore epicenter.