Aftershocks hamper earthquake rescue

MANILA, Philippines — Aftershocks have hampered rescue operations in Davao del Sur as authorities fear that several people remain trapped under the ruins of a three-story shopping building that collapsed following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that jolted Mindanao last Sunday.

The death toll remained at four as of 9 a.m. yesterday from the quake that severely affected the province of Davao del Sur.

The casualties retrieved from the ruins were identified as Elsa Ababon, 52, and Evangeline Artiaga, 67, wife of a former village chief of Tanwalang Sulop. Another fatality was still trapped under the debris of the collapsed three-story Southern Trade building in the municipality of Padada.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said the first body was retrieved at about 2 a.m. and the other was recovered around 8 a.m.

Search and rescue operations continue as the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned of more aftershocks.

A life detector machine was brought to the towns of Padada and Hagonoy to look for anyone still under the rubble.

However, the possibility of a stronger temblor – a magnitude 7.2 – is low, said Science Undersecretary and Phivolcs officer-in-charge Renato Solidum Jr.

Over 179 aftershocks have been recorded as of yesterday afternoon.

Solidum said considering the amount of energy released by the magnitude 6.9 quake, the chances of a larger tremor are “low.”

“But we don’t discount that scenario, although the chances of it happening are low,” Solidum said.

The quake was triggered by a movement of the Tangbulan Fault, different from the Cotabato Fault system that caused the series of earthquakes in Mindanao last October.

Cherbelchen Imgador, 6, of Asinan village in Matanao, died after being hit by a wall that fell in her home Sunday afternoon during the quake.

As of yesterday evening, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau Region 11 (MGB-11) reported one unidentified person dead from Hagonoy town.

Latest reports said at least 84 persons were reported injured in the Davao region due to various incidents attributed to the earthquake.

Thirteen public structures were damaged in the Davao and Soccsksargen regions in Central Mindanao, of which two were totally damaged and 11 partially damaged.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that three schools were partially damaged in Davao del Sur due to the earthquake, along with six other structures in the same areas.

Damaged structures include provincial and municipal halls, barangay halls, the Viacrusis and Davao Doctor’s Hospital, a gymnasium and two police stations.

Southern Mindanao Police Commander Brig. Gen. Filmore Escobal said a multi-agency coordinating center in the town of Magsaysay has been expanded while another center was also established in Padada.

Thousands have been displaced due to damaged houses, prompting residents to stay in cramped evacuation sites.

Sunday’s tremor was the strongest in Mindanao since the series of earthquakes in the region last October, which left over 20 people dead and displaced 100,000. The quakes have destroyed close to 39,000 houses and triggered over 2,000 aftershocks for several weeks, most of which were unfelt.

When the latest quake hit, thousands of villagers in Kidapawan City and nearby Makilala town in North Cotabato were still staying in makeshift relief sites due to the October quakes.

The epicenter was traced northwest of Matanao, Davao del Sur. It was felt in several areas in Mindanao, with the highest intensity recorded at 7, classified by Phivolcs as “destructive.”

Meanwhile, a magnitude 3.3 quake hit nine kilometers northeast of Lutayan, Sultan Kudarat at 11:54 a.m. It was felt at Intensity 3 in Davao City.

‘Bleak Christmas’?With dozens injured and four confirmed dead after the tremor, thousands of affected residents would be facing a rather bleak Christmas with toppled homes, cracked schools after more than just a month of recovery from October’s temblors.

Power transmission services, meanwhile, of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines remained normal and no damage was sustained by power transmission facilities in the province where the tremor was felt.

Local chief executives have ordered government employees not to report to work in the meantime, except emergency teams that have been directed to be on full alert in anticipation of more aftershocks.

Many areas in Central Mindanao have suspended classes in all school levels. The NDRRMC said a total of nine cities and municipalities in Regions XI and XII declared suspension of classes while Kidapawan City, North Cotabato and Digos City, Davao del Sur declared suspension of work.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra has recommended the temporary suspension of work in prosecutors’ offices in the Davao provinces.

Guevarra said they would give way to the inspection of the prosecutors’ offices to ensure the safety of their prosecutors and other personnel in the area.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) also ordered policemen in Mindanao to inspect police stations and other infrastructure for possible damage.

PNP deputy chief for operations Lt. Gen. Camilo Cascolan directed logistics officers in the Davao region to inspect not only police stations but all buildings in their respective areas.

Cascolan also ordered police commanders in Davao and Soccsksargen to activate their crisis incident management committees to help in disaster response operations.

The Department of Labor and Employment, meanwhile, assured affected residents of employment assistance through the Tulong Panghanap-buhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program.

“This is in the form of emergency employment. For a period of time, we will give them salary for work they have done in the community,” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said.

International child welfare organization Save the Children expressed deep concern for the safety and welfare of more than a million children in Davao del Sur.

Alberto Muyot, chief executive officer of Save the Children Philippines, said a team has been deployed in Davao del Sur to assess the situation of children and their families and determine the extent of damage.

“We are coordinating with the local government on the ground to assess the situation of children and their families so we can respond to their urgent needs,” said Muyot.

An estimated 4.4 million people or 830,000 households live in towns that sustained strong temblors on Sunday, according to the Pacific Disaster Center, of whom 1.37 million are children aged 14 years and below.

“We are concerned that the recent earthquake will prolong the displacement of families,” said Jerome Balinton, humanitarian manager of Save the Children Philippines.

Simbang Gabi ‘unimpeded’

Despite the damage wrought by the strong quake, residents still celebrated the first day of the nine-day Simbang Gabi or dawn mass tradition in the run-up to Christmas.

Several bishops based in Mindanao reported that the masses pushed through, according to Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle.

Tagle led the concelebrated mass of the first of the nine dawn masses at the Manila Cathedral, where he remembered those affected by the tremors in Davao del Sur, Davao and General Santos City.

At the start of his homily, Tagle said, “Let us remember our brothers and sisters, especially those in Mindanao who experienced a strong earthquake, which was stronger than the previous quakes. I sent a message to the bishops in the area, particularly those in Cotabato, Davao, Davao del Sur. The most affected was the Diocese of Digos.”

A priest was even injured when he went to a distant area, he said.

“The Simbang Gabi begins tomorrow and we will show the people that even if there has been an earthquake, we still have our faith and faith is the meaning of our Simbang Gabi,” Tagle said, quoting a Mindanao bishop.

Tagle also said he is not discounting the possibility that “these people affected by the tremors would not be celebrating mass inside beautiful churches similar to the Manila Cathedral, but they would still express their faith.”

Police said the residents of Padada celebrated the first Simbang Gabi yesterday at the municipal gym. – Edith Regalado, Michael Punongbayan, John Unson, Evelyn Macairan, Emmanuel Tupas, Rainier Allan Ronda