FOLLOWING the end of the 15-day use of school facilities as emergency evacuation centers, the Provincial Local Government Unit of Davao de Oro (PLGU-Davao de Oro) has now cleared the entire area of the Diocese of Tagum property for the building of 70 tents from the Philippine Red Cross (PRC).
PLGU-Davao de Oro alongside the local government unit of Maco (LGU-Maco), Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Office (MDRRMO), and other government humanitarian agencies have started the temporary installation of tents at Immaculate Conception Quasi Parish in Barangay Elizalde, Maco on Tuesday, February 27, this year.
The Department of Education (DepEd) announced that schools and classrooms being used as evacuation centers should hold regular classes soon in order not to halt the learning process of students affected by the Masara landslide last February 6.
The announcement was in line with the DepEd Order No. 37, Series of 2022 wherein school buildings may be used in the event of natural disasters, power outages or interruptions, and other calamities only for 15 days.
To recall, Davao de Oro Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Joseph Randy Loy announced the Mines and Geoscience Bureau (MGB) together with other experts on geoscience is looking for safe temporary relocation sites.
“As of the moment, temporary pa rin yong tinitignan natin to address the needs of the schools and we don't want the education ng bata ay maantala," Loy stressed during the emergency response cluster meeting for the Masara landslide recently.
(As of the moment, we are still looking at temporary solutions to address the needs of the schools, and we don't want the children's education to be disrupted).
Currently, the LGU-Maco has already planned an alternative relocation site where the affected families may immediately move once the construction for their new homes is completed.
Meanwhile, Apex Mining Co. Inc. has also confirmed to offer their two-hectare property in Barangay Malamodao as a relocation site.
The massive landslide at Zone 1 in Brgy. Masara buried at least 93 people alive, injuring more than 30 individuals and 14 unidentified and unclaimed bodies are still subject to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) testing at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) - Central Office.
On February 22, Maco Municipal Mayor Arthur Carlos Voltaire Rimando signed Executive Order (EO) No. 17, declaring the termination order of the search and retrieval operation with eight bodies still buried. DEF
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