No major structural damage in GenSan

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- No major damages were recorded in government and private buildings and other vital structures here in the wake of the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit parts of Mindanao on Sunday afternoon.

Engr. Emerald Signar, assistant head of the City Engineer’s Office, said their assessment teams only found minor cracks so far in some buildings of the city government and several private establishments.

Signar said among the structures inspected by the assessment teams were the main city hall building, oval plaza covered court, city gymnasium, city termi

nal, central public market, city hospital and several bridges.

He said their teams also conducted inspections on reported damages at the KCC and SM malls and other commercial establishments.

“We made a rapid sweep of various vital structures and we did not find any significant damage so far,” he said in a press briefing.

He said the assessment of school buildings in private and public schools as well as other government buildings are ongoing in coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Mayor Ronnel Rivera ordered the inspection and assessment of buildings in the city following the 2:11 p.m. quake on Sunday, which was felt at Intensity 6 in the city.

The mayor has suspended classes on Monday in all levels in the city to facilitate the inspection.

Signar said the result of their initial assessment shows that buildings in the city were constructed based on engineering standards. He said a properly-built building or any related structure should not collapse in an Intensity 6 or even magnitude 6 to 7 earthquake.

“The minor cracks that we found were consistent with the definition of an Intensity 6 quake. The intensity was not enough to really damage our buildings,” he said.

Dr. Agripino Dacera Jr., head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said 30 persons were brought to local hospitals due to hyperventilation and two for minor injuries.

Dacera said the injuries were sustained by falling building debris during the quake.

Meanwhile, at least 16 houses and several other public structures in two municipalities in Sarangani were reported damaged as a result of the earthquake.

Jerome Barranco, assistant director of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD)Region 12 (Soccsksargen), said Monday 13 houses sustained partial damages while an old multipurpose building collapsed in Malungon town.

Malungon, which felt the earthquake at intensity 6, is Sarangani’s closest town to Matanao, Davao del Sur, epicenter of the quake that struck at 2:11 p.m.

Barranco said 11 of the damaged houses were in Barangay Lutay and two in Upper Biangan. The collapsed structure was located in Barangay Malandag.

“The affected residents in Lutay are currently staying with their relatives while those in Upper Biangan were evacuated to the barangay hall,” he said in a radio interview.

Barranco said some landslides were also reported in several barangays in Malungon but none of the surrounding communities were directly affected.

A report from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said one of the landslides occurred in the main road leading to the Kalonbarak Skyline Ridge, a mountain tourist destination, in Sitio Kaloinbarak, Barangay Poblacion.

A number of tourists were reportedly isolated at the site as a result of the landslide, which was later cleared by responding local government personnel.

The PDRRMO said a number of school buildings in Malungon sustained various damages but the assessment is still ongoing.

In Glan town, it said a still unidentified fisherman went missing reportedly he panicked and jumped into the sea during the quake. The provincial government has already coordinated with the Philippine Coast Guard for the search operations.

In Alabel town, the barangay council of Ladol reported that three houses and the main reservoir of the village’s water system were partially damaged as a result of the quake. Around 3,000 residents were reportedly affected by the damaged water system.

As of Monday morning, Barranco said they monitored at least 14 incidents in Soccsksargen related to the quake, the strongest that hit parts of Mindanao since October 16.

“The assessment is still ongoing in coordination with the local DRRM offices and councils,” he added. (PNA)