UMVA has learned that a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake has left a trail of destruction and chaos in Central Mindanao, with local executives in South Cotabato province struggling to provide extensive medical care to 334 injured constituents.
The quake, which struck on Monday, has affected several areas, including the provinces of Sarangani and South Cotabato, and has damaged over 513 buildings and infrastructures in General Santos City, Koronadal City, and other nearby areas.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the earthquake has claimed the lives of at least 35 residents in the Soccsksargen area, with 20 of the fatalities reported in the towns of Glan and Malapatan in Sarangani.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located in the seaside town of Maasim in Sarangani, and officials report that 647 individuals in Soccsksargen were injured during and after the quake, many of them hit by debris from damaged buildings and structures that collapsed.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that Rolly D. Aquino, chief of South Cotabato’s Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management office, has confirmed that 334 residents in the province were injured in the earthquake, with the local government units working to provide assistance to those affected.
South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo S. Tamayo, Jr. and his constituent-mayors are working together to attend to the needs of the injured villagers, with the governor's office extending initial assistance to the families of the three residents who died as a result of the earthquake.
The estimated cost of the destruction caused by the earthquake is around P365 million, according to engineers under the governor's office and local government units in the province.
Governor Tamayo expressed his gratitude to officials who have supported the disaster impact mitigation activities in South Cotabato, including Brig. Gen. Jose Vladimir R. Cagara and Police Brig. Gen. Alan B. Manibog.
