COMMUNITIES at the foot of Mt. Apo may have to be abandoned because of landslides caused by the series of earthquakes that have rocked Mindanao since October 16.
Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, chairman of Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), raised this possibility in a Facebook post Monday, November 4, which showed the first drone images of the aftermath of latest quake to hit Mindanao.
He said communities affected by quake-induced landslides are in Kidapawan City and in the towns of Magpet, Tulunan and Makilala in Cotabato as well as in Magsaysay, Bansalan and Matanao in Davao del Sur.
Hardest hit by landslides were Kidapawan City and Makilala because these are at the foot of Mt. Apo.
“It is in these areas where entire communities may have to be abandoned by residents,” Piñol stated.
The drone images were taken by the MinDA team assigned in the field office in Kidapawan City, which was set up to support rehabilitation and relief efforts.
Piñol said the MinDA team is expected to continue data gathering activities Monday to determine the extent of the damage caused by the quakes and identify the communities that have not been reached by government relief efforts.
“The data gathered will be used (in) recommending rehabilitation plans for the earthquake-affected communities to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana,” Piñol said.
Lorenzana has been designated by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea as the officer-in-charge of the government operations to help earthquake-affected areas.
Three major earthquakes have rocked the Cotabato and Davao provinces since October 16, 2019.
The magnitude 6.3 and magnitude 6.6 events on October 16 and 29 were both centered southeast of Tulunan, Cotabato while the third quake, with magnitude of 6.5, occurred northeast of Tulunan.
A series of lesser quakes and aftershocks have also occurred in the area since October 16. All tremors were inland, tectonic, and shallow, causing destruction to property and infrastructure.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has reported 23 fatalities. (MVI/SunStar Philippines)