THE mayor of Tulunan, one of the towns in South Cotabato that was badly hit by a series of Mindanao earthquakes in 2019, visited Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, to thank him for the aid the municipality received from Mandaue.

Tulunan Mayor Pip Limbungan said the Mandaue City Government gave P1 million in cash aid last November and other local government units also sent aid to the municipality.

His administration will use the financial assistance to purchase lots, where his displaced constituents will be transferred.

The beneficiaries, he said, are the residents of five barangays that were declared as danger zones by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology as these are situated near the mountains or cliffs.

The earthquake last October destroyed at least 2,000 structures, including the Tulunan Municipal Hall.

“We are lucky that our municipal building was insured. We let our engineers assess the structures and they told us that it can be repaired,” said Limbungan in a mix of Cebuano and English.

The repair costs P11 million, he said.

Limbungan was accompanied by the municipal councilors and Vice Mayor Mau Villamor.

Villamor said they have not experienced aftershocks anymore, and the town has proceeded to its rebuilding phase.

“We already have transitional shelters in evacuation camps. The residents will be transferred to permanent houses,” Villamor said. (KFD)