Davao de Oro under state of calamity

MANILA, Philippines — The provincial government of Davao de Oro has declared a state of calamity due to a series of earthquakes that rocked the province on March 6 and 7.

The state of calamity was declared by the Provincial Council following a special online session on Saturday.

Data released by the provincial disaster risk reduction and management office (PDRRMO) showed that the quakes affected 194,057 households or 229,647 families.

The amount of damage to infrastructure has reached P265 million.

In a resolution, the council said there is a need to fund and undertake urgent and appropriate programs, projects and activities to alleviate the impact caused by the earthquake.

The municipal government of New Bataan was the first to declare a state of calamity on March 10 followed by Maragusan the next day.

Quakes of magnitudes-5.3 and 5.9 shook Davao de Oro on March 6 and 7, respectively, which were followed by several aftershocks.

The quakes were also felt in other areas of Mindanao.

The temblors occurred as the province was celebrating its founding anniversary, prompting Gov. Dorothy Montejo-Gonzaga to cancel the culminating activities for the 25th Davao de Oro Bulawan Festival.