Cebu PDRRMO head Dennis Pastor stated that Sarangani Province, specifically Malapatan and Glan, urgently requires potable water and prioritized financial aid following the June 8, 2026, earthquake in southern Mindanao.
Governor Pamela Baricuatro announced that the Cebu Provincial Government is preparing additional water shipments and has already allocated P10 million in financial assistance for the recovery of General Santos City.
Cebu’s response teams will remain in the affected communities to conduct further assessments, as local officials emphasize that cash donations efficiently support immediate procurement within or near disaster-stricken areas.
POTABLE water remains the most urgent need in Sarangani Province following the June 8, 2026 Mindanao earthquake, while financial assistance is among the most effective forms of support at this stage of the response, according to Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) head Dennis Pastor.
“Sarangani needs more help,” Pastor said in an interview on Friday, June 12, 2026, after the team’s assessment of affected communities in southern Mindanao.
Pastor said General Santos City has begun transitioning from emergency response to early recovery and rehabilitation, but Sarangani continues to face significant challenges, particularly in the municipalities of Malapatan and Glan, where extensive damage was recorded.
He urged Cebuanos who want to help to prioritize financial donations, noting that commercial establishments near the affected areas remain operational despite the disaster.
According to Pastor, cash assistance allows responders and local government units to immediately purchase needed supplies within or near affected communities while avoiding the costs of transporting relief goods from other provinces.
Gov. Pamela Baricuatro said the Provincial Government is preparing additional assistance based on the PDRRMO’s assessment, particularly the delivery of potable water.
“They really need potable water there, so we are sending more,” Baricuatro said in an interview with reporters after the Independence Day flag-raising ceremony at the Cebu Provincial Capitol on Friday.
The Cebu Provincial Government earlier deployed a response team led by Pastor to assess conditions on the ground and coordinate relief efforts.
“There is already one team in the area and we will be sending another one today,” Baricuatro said.
Pastor said the team will remain in the earthquake-hit communities until assessments are completed and no further assistance is required.
On Wednesday, June 10, Baricuatro announced that the Provincial Government had allocated P10 million in financial assistance for General Santos City.
She said she hoped to personally turn over the assistance once authorities completed their assessment of conditions in the affected areas. / Lee Hashman Patalita, CNU Intern
