President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. tasked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and other agencies on Thursday to immediately assess the damage to major government infrastructures by the 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Sarangani province.
“So, the other things, public works has to validate what are the buildings that can still be used at saka ‘yung iba na dangerous ng level of damage na hindi na puwedeng gamitin para kailangan natin — ‘yun ang unahin natin,” President Marcos said during a situation briefing in General Santos City on Thursday.
“The damage to malls, the private corporations will take care of that. Sila na ang bahala diyan, and they will rehabilitate their facilities,” he added.
The President also wanted the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) to assess the damage to the province’s seaports, stressing their importance to the economic activities of the people.
Marcos particularly mentioned the Glan Port, which he said, is very important infrastructure for the province.
“Alam natin ‘yung buong pantalan talagang nawala. Pumasok sa tubig. So, that’s something, importante ‘yan because gamit na gamit ‘yan dito. It’s very active na ‘puerto’ ‘yan eh,” Marcos said.
“Well, we’ll just have to coordinate with the PPA to see what are the damages. Paano natin babalikan ‘yan? I bring it up because in the initial reports, that was immediately the concern, ‘yung Glan Port dahil marami ngang dumadaan diyan. That’s very busy. That’s a very important port for the province.”
In his report to the President, Sarangani Gov. Rogelio Pacquiao said that the Port of Glan, which is a vital entry point for the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), was severely damaged.
Pacquiao also reported that the port in Malapatan, vital to the livelihood of the local fisherfolk, also sustained damages, affecting the operations of more than 300 fishing vessels.
For major infrastructure damages, Pacquiao said that 18 national and provincial roads were affected.
“These are major connectivity roads in the Province of Sarangani. Bridges, three. These bridges are connecting the three municipalities of Alabel, Malapatan, and Glan. Flood control, one, municipal hall of Glan in which 60 percent of the structure were severely damaged,” he said, noting that the estimated cost of damage was at P295,720,000.
There were 447 totally damaged houses, and 3,014 partially damaged, Pacquiao said, adding that the majority of these houses are located along the coastlines of Glan and Malapatan.
The 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Sarangani Province on November 17 affected 15,607 households out of 133,865 households, with a total population of 558,069.
There were six reported deaths and 86 injuries as a result of the quake, the local official said. PND
