NOVEMBER 3, 2019
SUMMARY INFORMATION
132,020 people in Cotabato Province are affected by the earthquake. 100% of them are displaced due to damaged houses. Evacuation centers are temporary tents in open fields where families sleep exposed to the elements especially in the past three days where rain was heavy. Government response is slow but national government is taking over through Department of National Defense. DND screens relief and only registered and validated aid organizations have access to the affected families based on the Memo of Office of Martial Law Administrator.
The Diocese of Kidapawan gets funds from NASSA and other dioceses. They are required to report to LGU because they are not registered aid agency. Currently, tents and food packs are distributed to parishes.
70% of the 20,000 affected families come from Makilala, where eleven barangays are forced evacuated due to landslides and ongoing aftershocks. Camps are crowded with no facilities and no services.
Duyog Marawi, in partnership with two local NGOs in Kidapawan , Kasilak Foundation and AKKAP Foundation, and the Diocesan Quick Response Group, plans to conduct a Solidarity Mission for 1,000 families in Garsika including 250 Muslim Families, The solidarity mission combines Shelter, WASH, Psychosocial for Children and Women, Women’s Special Needs, and Supplementary Feeding.
We have gathered initial pledges for many our needs, but we are trying to raise 500,000 to raise the safety, dignity, and survival of 1000 families, and conduct Play and Pray Therapy as well as Clean Hand, Clean Heart Campaign for 1,000 children.
If we have more funds, we hope to reach out to the Indigenous Peoples who are isolated in Llomavis, Kidapawan and had been transferred to other evacuation sites. 1,400 Ubo-Manobo living outside the geothermal plants.
I. INTRODUCTION:
Duyog Marawi Earthquake Assistance Team was originally a response to the request of NASSA for data and to the Radyo Veritas for news stories. It is part of our mission to be a voice of Mindanao’s disaster affected families. We decided that since we were going there, we might as well conduct Psychosocial Activities for Children in the parishes of Tulunan and Mlang. However, upon entry in Cotabato province, another major earthquake happened – the third one – with a magnitude of 6.5 and Intensity VII.
A meeting with the PDRRMO revealed that they are still organizing. Their data is not complete. We got requested by the Provincial DRRM to proceed to Makilala to help in the data gathering by PDRRMO Mercy Foronda.
We also conducted interview and courtesy call with Bishop Jose Collin Bagaforo, D.D. who told us that he doesn’t have any data, and they were still setting up the Quick Response Team. Thus we decided to proceed to Makilala and other areas and conduct First Response in Garsika while the earthquake shocks were still going on.
In our team was Chief of Mission, Tito Revereal, three licensed social workers (Amerah Dipantar, Hakim Onsil, Juhaira Saidali), a DRR Specialist (Cath Tacoloy) First Aider (Cosary Pangandamun), Communications and Media Officer Abdullah Acmad, Safety and Security Officer Usman Doro.
This Duyog Marawi visit was covered by ABS-CBN, Radyo Veritas, and Ucanews.
II. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On 29 October 2019 at around 9:04 AM, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) recorded the second strong earthquake of Magnitude 6.6 that shook the province of North Cotabato with and almost the same epicentre located 25 kilometers southeast of the municipality of Tulunan with a depth of 7 kilometers. It was a shallow earthquake, thus damage was expected to be high.
October 31, 2019 at 9:15 AM, another strong earthquake of Magnitude 6.5 again rocked central and eastern Mindanao was recorded with tectonic in origin at a shallow depth of two (2) kilometers. Once more, the epicentre was determined in Tulunan, North Cotabato.
These earthquakes, as well as the previously recorded earthquake on October 16, 2019 of Magnitude 6.3, with the same epicentre location in Tulunan, North Cotabato, is considered part of a sequence of events from interrelated faults in the region. Death toll is now at 15.
They were felt as far as Palo, Leyte, but the Intensity VII was recorded in Makilala, Tulunan, Kidapawan, and Mlang.
PhiVocs warned that due to the magnitude of these earthquakes, small to medium aftershocks are expected. Ruptures, landslides, and sand boils were recorded.
AFFECTED POPULATION
Note: 20, 704 out of the 29, 479 or 70 percent of the affected families are from Makilala where 100% of the houses where either totally of partially damaged. In contrast, the Bohol Earthquake totally damaged 14,500 houses and structures or less than half of the Makilala record.
(Source: NDRRMC SitRep 9 as of November 2, 2019 at 6:00 PM)
III. NEEDS ASSESSMENT
The most urgent needs based on the meeting with LGUs and our own observation are the following:
- Temporary Shelter – 89% of the families are camped in open areas. Average tents are 5 x 6 per family which does not protect them from the elements during day and night time (cold air). DSWD pledged that it will have enough sleeping kits for all affected population, and it shall be flewn in from Manila. Based on our experience, it will take up to 14 days before that will reach the actual families. For the meantime, health and safety are a primary consideration.
- Psychosocial Support and Psychological First Aid – the constant shaking, the sight of structures being damaged, and adjustment to an sub-human living conditions are affecting the wellness of women and children.
- Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene – water supply is damaged by the earthquake. Families fetch water from nearby sources. But they don’t have enough containers to protect their water from contamination. There is also a need to provide spaces for women to wash. Also, the necessity of conducting Hygiene Promotions among children is essential as diseases are known to spread in situations like this.
- Risk Reduction and Contingency Planning – it is the only emergency response where the threat is still real. Phivocs officially announced that the earthquake swarm might lead to a bigger earthquake. It is important to provide safety tips to the evacuees as well as plan their movements in case a bigger one will happen, God forbid.
IV. RELEVANT INFORMATION
- For unknown reasons, the Office of the Martial Law Administrator has released a memo that they will control and screen aid organizations. This limits private actors and even church groups. The Diocese of Kidapawan in a consultation with the governor was instructed to get clearance from the LGU first before going to the parishes. Duyog Marawi aside from having the credentials of an aid organization has links with the Armed Forces of the Philippines due to the siege. We shall not be affected by this memorandum but we will obey this.
- Supply chain is broken in Cotabato. Stores are closed due to safety reasons. Thus, when NASSA sent money to the Diocese, the diocese has to go to Davao to purchase which adds to the cost and the hazard. It is better to purchase from source and distribute, provided we coordinate with the DSAC.
V. PROPOSAL OF DUYOG MARAWI
The urgency of the situation and the trust we have established with the local leaders in Makilala moves us to conduct a Solidarity Visit next week. Time is of the essence now as people are getting desperate. There are news of roadside begging as well as lack of order in many evacuation centers.
Our links with Kasilak Foundation means we have access to the security personnel of Dole Stanfilco which is the employer of 80% of the Garsika Evacuation Center and New Cebu Evacuation Center. A combined 1,000 families. Using the best practices we did for the Marawi Siege, a Solidarity Visit is not just a relief operations but a community engagement. We aim to give them hope by our presence and services.
If you would like to donate to our response,
You may deposit your donation to:
Bank: METROBANK (Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company)
Account Number: 543-7-543-00539-4
Account Name: Duyog Marawi Inc.
Bank Branch: Roxas Avenue, Iligan City
Swift Code: MBTCPHMM
Currency: Philippine Peso
Kindly e-mail the scanned copy of the bank deposit slip to info@duyogmarawi.org
We’ll provide you with an Official Receipt (OR) for every donation you made.
You may also do an online donation via PayPal
Note: For PayPal Donations, kindly select “DISASTER HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE” in the “Use this donation for” drop down menu below the amount buttons and box.
You may also visit our Office in Iligan City to personally hand in your donation or contact us for other ways for you to help and contribute.