QUAKE ASSESSMENT. DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian (in red shirt, center) is welcomed by Surigao del Sur Gov. Alexander Pimentel at the Tandag City Airport on Monday (Dec. 4, 2023). The secretary joined the top officials of the province in an assessment conference following the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that hit the area on Saturday night (Dec. 2). (Photo courtesy of DSWD-13)
BUTUAN CITY – School classes and office work are suspended in at least three Mindanao areas as a precaution to aftershocks and assessment of structures following the magnitude 7.4 quake that hit the island-region over the weekend.
In Caraga Region, successive aftershocks were felt Monday following the strong temblor that hit Surigao del Sur province, whose epicenter was traced off Hinatuan town on Saturday night.
On Sunday afternoon, Surigao del Sur, Gov. Alexander Pimentel issued an order suspending the work in government and private offices and classes at all levels starting Monday.
“All mayors are hereby directed to instruct their respective Municipal and City Engineers to conduct inspection and assessment of the structural integrity of all school buildings and government offices within their localities,” Pimentel said in his order.
Surigao del Sur
Also on Monday, the governor, along with Secretary Rex Gatchalian of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and other provincial officials, held an emergency meeting at the provincial capitol in Tandag City to assess the situation in the province.
The provincial governments of Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte, and Dinagat Islands issued separate orders suspending classes and work in their respective areas due to ongoing facility assessments and aftershocks.
Agusan del Sur
In Agusan del Sur, several local government units have suspended classes, while the provincial government ordered a work-from-home (WFH) scheme and the temporary suspension of all activities.
In an update, the DSWD-13 (Caraga) said around 100 families who were displaced and currently staying in Bitoon Elementary School in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur have already been provided with family food packs since Sunday and will continue in the following days.
Davao Region
In the Davao region, various municipalities and provinces also declared suspension of classes and implemented WFH arrangements in government agencies on Monday.
For one, the Davao City government declared suspension of classes at all levels in public schools and WFH arrangements in government offices.
In Davao de Oro, the municipalities of Compostela, Laak, Maco, Mabini, Maragusan, Mawab, Monkayo, Montevista, Nabunturan, New Bataan, and Pantukan have declared suspension of classes in all levels for both public and private institutions.
In Davao Oriental, the city of Mati and the towns of Governor Generoso and Lupon declared suspension of basic education level in public schools only, while the towns of Banaybanay, Banganga, Boston, Caraga, Manay, San Isidro, Tarragona, and Cateel suspended classes in all levels of public schools.
Meanwhile, Davao Occidental declared a provincewide suspension of classes in schools at all levels and work from Dec. 4 to 5.
In Davao del Norte, its eight municipalities and three cities also declared suspension of classes at all levels on Monday.
In Davao del Sur, only the municipalities of Kiblawan and Padada declared a suspension of classes for all levels while in Hagonoy town, basic education classes in public schools were suspended.
Stop fake news
This came about as the Office of Civil Defense in Davao Region (OCD-11) encouraged the public to refrain from spreading false information regarding earthquakes and other hazards.
“We reiterate that there remains no technology that can accurately predict when and where an earthquake will strike,” OCD-11 said, as it urged the public to follow and share information only coming from the legitimate social media pages and websites of national government agencies.
Northern Mindanao
In Northern Mindanao, the province of Misamis Oriental also deferred classes in public schools to check buildings as a result of another strong quake early Monday morning.
In Gingoog City of the province, the Office of the Civil Defense-10 (Northern Mindanao) recorded six families affected by the Dec. 2 quake.
Julia Espejon, Gingoog City executive staff member, said the families, comprising 36 persons, received immediate assistance after their houses in Barangay Odiongan were destroyed by the quake. (PNA)
