Sarangani gov extends suspension of onsite classes until June 30

KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato – The discovery of a dead goat buried beneath a debris of rocks and soil in Barangay Congan of Glan town, Sarangani led rescuers on Thursday to the remains of a farmer who had been missing since the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Mindanao on June 8.

Fire Chief Inspector Ezekiel Tabon, Tag City Fire Marshal and leader of the search and rescue task group deployed to Barangay Congan, said the family of Wilbert Novio, 27, and rescue personnel believed they were searching in the right area after the carcass of the farmer’s goat was found days earlier.

READ: DepEd: 1,378 schools damaged in aftermath of Sarangani quake

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The goat had been recovered from the exact location where Novio was last seen before the landslide.

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Based on accounts of survivors among the villagers, Novio was tending his goat on a mountainside when the powerful quake struck and triggered the landslide. Neighbors recalled that Novio managed to shout a warning before he was engulfed by the collapsing earth.

With the recovery of Novio’s remains, the death toll from the June 8 quake has risen to 79.

“Aside from carrying out search, rescue, and retrieval operations, we are also verifying reports that some individuals were trapped under the debris (in Congan). We sympathize with the victims and sincerely pray that their remains will be recovered,” Tabon said.

Almost two weeks after the devastating tremor, Sarangani, which was the worst hit province, still struggles with recovery.

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This is why Sarangani Gov. Rogelio Pacquiao had extended the suspension of onsite classes throughout the province to June 30.

By doing so, Pacquiao said the province can fully focus on continuing recovery and rehabilitation efforts amid threats of continuing aftershocks.

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As of June 18, some 2,352 families — mostly from Glan and Malapatan towns — are temporarily living in evacuation centers after their homes were destroyed by the powerful tremor. Throughout the province, some 91,723 families were affected by the quake.

In Glan town, the Department of Health had deployed its Philippine Emergency Medical Assistance Team (PEMAT) with personnel from the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center to operate a level 2 medical services facility on tents to serve local residents.

It is hosted within the compound of a local vocational school and is equipped with an operating room for minor surgeries, a delivery room, and a laboratory with X-ray and ultrasound services.

This way, the Sarangani Provincial Hospital in Alabel town, which is reeling from some structural damage, will not be overburdened, and reduce the need to refer cases to hospitals in General Santos City, which are also in need of repair works.

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Dr. Romancap Faisal, PEMAT team leader, said minor injuries mostly related to the quake top the cases they are dealing with, followed by pneumonia and diarrhea. /jpv