Quake death toll climbs to 215

MANILA, Philippines - The death toll from the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that ravaged parts of the Visayas last Oct. 15 has risen to 215 while the amount of property damage has exceeded P2.2 billion, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said yesterday.

A majority of the families of the fatalities have been provided with financial assistance, according to the NDRRMC.

Two new fatalities were reported yesterday in Bohol, namely Diogracias Valleser, 46, of Antequera and Marcelina Catalan, 75, of Tubigon. A total of 201 fatalities were from Bohol, 13 from Cebu and one from Siquijor. Eight persons remain missing while 742 others were injured.

NDRRMC said the bereaved families of 182 fatalities have received P10,000 financial assistance each.

Families who are entitled to the assistance should present a death certificate and police report to receive P10,000.

For wounded individuals, a certificate of confinement must be presented to receive P5,000. Local civil defense offices are facilitating the distribution of the cash assistance.

The earthquake has damaged P2.2 billion worth of infrastructure including roads, bridges, buildings and hospitals.

Bohol was worst hit, sustaining P1.38 million worth of damage. The property damage in Cebu has been pegged at P817.95 million while that of Siquijor and Negros Oriental have reached P1.45 million and P270,000, respectively.

The earthquake also damaged 57,920 houses in Bohol, Cebu, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Siquijor and Leyte.

A total of 3.22 million persons or 644,253 families have been affected by the tremor, which has also caused the collapse of some centuries-old churches in Bohol and Cebu.

Of the affected residents, 352,077 persons or 67,442 families have been displaced. A total of 92,678 persons or 17,907 families are still inside 265 evacuation centers while 259,300 persons or 49,535 families are with their relatives and friends.

State agencies, local governments and non-government organizations have provided a total of P48.92 million worth of assistance to the affected areas.

Maj. Ronnie Ebarita, operations officer of the Armed Forces Central Command disaster response task force, said they are no longer receiving complaints over the delivery of goods to affected areas.

He said some roads that were affected by the landslide are now open, enabling them to deliver relief goods smoothly. 

“We are using helicopters from Tagbilaran (in Bohol) to pick up relief goods and bring them to barangays and municipalities that are hard to reach,” Ebarita said in Filipino.

NDRRMC said 16 of the 18 roads affected by the earthquake are now passable. Three of the 41 affected bridges are still closed to traffic as of yesterday.

Financial grant from OWWA

Families of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the quake in Bohol will get financial grant from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz yesterday said OWWA is allocating P30 million for quake-displaced OFW families in Bohol.

“Each OFW family from Bohol will get P3,000 financial relief assistance to enable them to recover from the devastation caused by the strong quake,” Baldoz said.

She said the OWWA board of trustees will meet next week to discuss and approve the resolution on the financial grant.

There are around 10,000 OFWs from Bohol who are OWWA members, according to Baldoz.

More relief goods

Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) yesterday sent an additional 30,000 family food packs as well as 1,000 water jugs with potable water, 217 shelter box tents and nine boxes of shelter box tools to earthquake victims in Bohol.

The DSWD said that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) also provided 6,000 hygiene kits for earthquake victims in Cebu. – With Mayen Jaymalin, Rainier Allan Ronda