Missing in Mindanao quake rises to 38 as 3 areas remain hard to reach

MANILA, Philippines — The number of people missing after the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that devastated parts of Mindanao rose from 31 to 38 overnight, while the death toll remained at 47 as of Thursday evening, the Office of Civil Defense said.

Civil Defense Deputy Administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said missing persons increased after new reports came in from Glan, Sarangani and General Santos City.

The death toll remains under validation by the Department of Health and the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Alejandro said.

He also explained the discrepancy between the OCD's tally and other government reports, after the Bureau of Fire Protection reported more than 60 deaths and another disaster agency count stood at 55.

"The DOH and DILG are checking the numbers so they will be reconciled. So far, we have 47 because it underwent double checking," Alejandro said in Filipino over dzBB on Friday, June 12.

Alejandro said the OCD had coordinated with the BFP to review its figures, as some cases may involve double-counting or missing persons being reported as dead.

"They are counting on the spot, while we in the agency have a process," Alejandro said in Filipino.

Isolated areas

The coastal communities of Glan in Sarangani, Jose Abad Santos in Davao Occidental and Balut Island remained difficult to reach as of Friday due to quake-induced landslides.

"The highways going to these areas are affected by landslides, but the clearing operations of the DPWH are continuous. We are using helicopters and sea vessels to distribute resources," Alejandro said.

Glan, Jose Abad Santos and General Santos City recorded large numbers of casualties and damage, and have been declared areas of concentration for ongoing search, rescue and clearing operations.

Alejandro said the OCD and other agencies would first assess the situation on the ground before deciding whether to continue search and rescue operations or shift to retrieval operations in the coming days.

Water and shelter repair needs

While food supplies remain sufficient for quake survivors, Alejandro said affected areas urgently need water, shelter repair kits and tents.

"What we want to push immediately are shelter repair kits and tents needed by families whose homes were damaged," Alejandro said in Filipino.

The OCD's latest count showed more than 19,000 damaged houses, about 3,500 of which were totally destroyed.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on June 11 that affected families would receive P50,000 in financial assistance from the government.

The National Housing Authority also suspended amortization payments across Mindanao for June. The agency is also set to distribute P30,000 in cash assistance to at least 2,000 families in General Santos City.

Alejandro said science-related government agencies would look into the possibility of declaring affected areas as no-build zones, but added that stronger enforcement of building codes was more likely.

"If they really need to declare a no-build zone, they will do so. But there are also engineering interventions," Alejandro said.