House To Shoulder Medical Bills Of People Injured During Earthquake; Senators Provide Relief Assistance
The lawmakers crossed paths in Sarangani on Thursday, June 11, as they helped the residents affected by the earthquake on June 8 get back on their feet.
Speaker Faustino Dy III said the House of Representatives would shoulder the medical expenses of all people injured as a result of the recent earthquake in Mindanao, whether they are receiving treatment in government or private hospitals.
Dy made the announcement on Thursday, June 11, as he led a delegation of lawmakers in General Santos City and Sarangani to assess the impact of the magnitude 7.8 June 8 quake.
He assured affected families that additional assistance would be mobilized to help communities recover from the disaster.
The House earmarked P9.25 million worth of aid for the victims, Assistant Minority Leader Chel Diokno said as he belied claims that lawmakers are only focused on the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte and forgetting about the victims of the strong earthquake.
“This P9.29 million came from 139 lawmakers, including the House prosecutors for the impeachment trial of the Vice President. This only shows that lawmakers have not forgotten their duty to help the earthquake victims in Mindanao,” Diokno of the Akbayan party-list said.
“We are multi-tasking, and we are doing everything that we have to do properly and efficiently,” he added.
Acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, along with Bukidnon native Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senators Erwin Tulfo and JV Ejercito, visited Sarangani to provide relief to victims on Thursday.
Gatchalian said they donated P2.5 million in cash assistance and rice in General Santos City and the Sarangani towns of Alabel, Glan, Kiamba, Maasim, Maitum, Malapatan and Malungon.
“The Senate majority bloc stands in solid commitment to ensure that national resources are mobilized swiftly to restore normalcy, repair vital infrastructure and help every affected family recover as soon as possible,” Gatchalian said.
The 12 senators under his bloc earlier donated their month’s salary to the quake victims.
The offices of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and his sister Sen. Pia Cayetano donated food packs to Sarangani Provincial Hospital-Glan and General Santos International Airport.
Sen. Rodante Marcoleta personally visited General Santos City to talk with families in Barangay Tambler and Dadiangas South, based on his social media posts on Wednesday, June 10.
On Thursday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported two more deaths, bringing the number of casualties to 47.
It added that the number of missing people climbed to 31 as search, rescue and retrieval operations continue in affected provinces. The injured was pegged at 688 while the number of families affected was at 75,324.
The NDRRMC said 3,515 families or 16,349 people remain housed in 32 evacuation centers across the Zamboanga Peninsula, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Davao Region and Soccsksargen, where the earthquake’s epicenter in Maasim, Sarangani was recorded.
Eight cities and towns in Davao Region and Soccsksargen have placed their localities under a state of calamity, it added.
More than P26.3 million worth of food and non-food assistance have been provided to communities and families most affected and displaced by the earthquake.
The Department of Public Works and Highways has commenced clearing operations at the site of a collapsed building that previously housed a fast-food chain and a radio station in General Santos, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said.
Dizon said land travel also resumed along the damaged highway leading to Glan town in Sarangani, after it was reopened to all types of vehicles on Thursday.
President Marcos earlier directed the DPWH to fast-track the rehabilitation of damaged road networks as well as assist private entities in clearing their collapsed buildings, as he emphasized the urgency of preventing delays in the delivery of humanitarian aid to affected localities.
“I am reporting this morning that the road coming in and out of Glan is now passable. Relief goods and other necessities for our countrymen can now enter, especially in Glan, which is very close to the epicenter of the earthquake,” Dizon said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the PNP is helping people set up tent cities as thousands of displaced residents remain hesitant to return to their homes due to aftershocks.
The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office delivered a fleet of ambulances and relief supplies to Southern Mindanao, PCSO general manager Melquiades Robles said.
“In times of disaster, immediate action can make a real difference for families who have lost access to basic needs. The PCSO, through our authorized agent corporations, was able to respond within the first 24 hours, and we are continuing that effort by sending more essential supplies, medical support and relief assistance,” Robles said. – With Michael Punongbayan, Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Rainier Allan Ronda, Evelyn Macairan, Emmanuel Tupas, John Unson
