KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews / 07 January) — The city government is set to complete its post-disaster needs assessment (PDNA) after the series of above-Magnitude 6 earthquakes that hit the city between October 16 and December 15 last year, acting city information officer Attorney Jose Paolo Evangelista, said.
Evangelista said the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) of the Department of National Defense spearheaded the five-day collation of data and writeshop, a process aimed at bringing together a range of stakeholders to come up with the city’s quake assessment report.
TENT CITY. At the backdrop of the Ilomavis evacuation site, the Mt. Apo range stands tall, but residents have reported landslides in the mountain range. MindaNews file photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
The offices involved in the five-day writeshop included the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (CDRRMO), City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), City Health Office (CHO), Office of the Building Official (OBO), Office of the City Engineer (OCE), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), City Motor Pool, City Veterinarian Office, City Tourism Office (CTO), and quasi-government and private institutions, like the Metro Kidapawan Water District (MKWD) and the Cotabato Electric Cooperative (Cotelco).
The collation of data is set to be completed on January 10, according to Evangelista.
“We will come up with a comprehensive framework for post-disaster recovery. This is a long-term approach for the rehabilitation of the human factor and livelihood,” he said.
The OCD, according to Evangelista, will collate the PDNA of quake-hit towns in North Cotabato, for submission to the Office of the President in Malacanang not later than February 14, 2020.
While long-term projects have yet to be implemented, this will not prevent the city from pursuing its immediate plans, including the relocation of those families whose houses were destroyed by earthquakes.
Evangelista said the National Housing Authority (NHA) has allotted some P400 million for the construction of some 1,700 housing units in Barangays Ilomavis, Balabag, Perez, and Indangan.
At least 6,091 houses were affected during the quakes, based on the terminal report of the CDRRMO as released on December 16, 2019.
Of the number, 5,218 were partially damaged and 893 totally damaged.
A Magnitude 6.3 quake struck this city and neighboring areas on October 16, Magnitudes 6.6 and 6.1 on October 29, Magnitude 6.5 on October 31 and Magnitude 6.9 on December 15. (Malu Cadelina-Manar / MindaNews)
