House disaster body tackles quake

Thursday, February 9, 2012

FOLLOWING the earthquake that hit Cebu and Negros Oriental last Monday, congressional officials are urging disaster risk reduction agencies to work better to prevent misinformation.

The House committee on national defense conducted a hearing on disaster risk management yesterday to discuss the state of government response to recent calamities.

Have something to report? Tell us in text, photos or videos.

When the tsunami alert level 2 was raised after the 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck, false information circulated in Cebu, causing panic in the streets.

Rep. Gabriel Luis “Luigi” Quisumbing (Cebu, Sixth District), committee vice chairman, said the hearing was timely.

In yesterday’s hearing, the Department of National Defense was given a stern reminder of responsibility in disaster risk management.

The agency was also advised by the committee to assume authority over other agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), and the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) during calamities, such as the earthquake last Monday.

Assistance

The earthquake affected more than 14,000 families in Guihulngan City and the towns of Tayasan, Jimalalud, Bindoy and La Libertad in Negros Oriental.

The Cebu Provincial Government announced it will provide assistance, both cash and relief goods, to the affected areas.

Capitol has earmarked P7 million as cash aid to Negros Oriental, even as it has yet to turn over its pledge of P3 million to the neighboring province after it was battered by typhoon Sendong.

Also, Capitol has allocated P2.8 million for relief commodities to be given to residents living in the coastal areas of the five local government units (LGUs) .

“I extend my sympathies to the entire province of Negros Oriental. In fact I haven’t sent the check for infrastructure damages (brought by typhoon Sendong),” Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia told Sun.Star Cebu.

Garcia said she promised Negros Gov. Rolando Degamo last year some assistance following the typhoon.

Affected LGUs

On top of the P7-million cash aid to Negros Oriental, Garcia will turn over P3.25 million cash to Guihulngan (P1 million), Tayasan (P1 million), Bindoy (P500,000), Jimalalud (P500,000), and La Libertad (P250,000).

As to the P2.8 million worth of relief goods, the Provincial Social Welfare Office allocated P2 million for rice, P495,000 for sardines, and P261,000 for instant noodles.

Garcia will also distribute P84,094 worth of medicines to the affected areas, as well as 300 packs of mineral water, with a budget of P46,845.

Based on the report of the Social Welfare Office, 5,155 affected families will benefit from Capitol’s assistance.

Guihulngan City and Tayasan have 2,000 affected families each.

Jimalalud has 500 affected families, Bindoy has 455, while La Libertad has 200. Of
the 24 reported fatalities, 13 were from Guihulngan.

Around 92 houses were damaged and 45 were destroyed.

Coordination

Next week, Garcia will send employees and heavy equipment such as backhoes, diggers, pay loaders, bulldozers and dump trucks to Negros Oriental.

She also requested private contractors in Cebu to send their spare equipment to Negros.

Meanwhile, Quisumbing said coordination between government agencies such as the NDRRMC, OCD, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seisomology (Phivolcs), Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration and other agencies should be improved after the lack of communication and the panic that ensued in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Quisumbing also suggested an update of geohazard maps after Phivolcs Deputy Director Bartolome Bautista revealed that the cause of the earthquake last Monday was a “hidden fault line.”

“Hazard maps are important tools in providing information and warning our local government units and the general public of critical and disaster prone areas.

A population that is alert and prepared for disasters and calamities suffers less damage and injuries,” Quisumbing added.