Manila: The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Davao Region (DSWD-11) reported Monday that it has extended more than PHP98 million in humanitarian assistance to communities affected by the recent strong Mindanao earthquake, which included the region.

According to Philippines News Agency, a total of 46,861 families, or 155,965 individuals, in the region have been affected by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck parts of Mindanao on June 8. In Davao Occidental's Jose Abad Santos (JAS) town alone, assistance has reached PHP45.8 million, covering relief distributions, cash aid, and the Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) program. Additionally, the municipality of Sarangani, within the same province, received over PHP46.09 million in relief supplies and financial aid.

Response operations continue in the provinces of Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental, where affected families have been provided with relief assistance based on their immediate needs. Of the affected population, 2,940 families (10,955 persons) remain in evacuation centers, while 3,086 families (9,098 persons) are staying with relatives or in temporary shelters outside evacuation sites.

The earthquake resulted in damage to 16,061 houses, with 5,371 destroyed and 10,690 partly damaged. Among the hardest-hit areas is Davao Occidental; JAS town recorded the highest number of affected families at 22,576, followed by Sarangani with 7,101 and Malita with 4,064. Thousands of food and non-food items, including family food packs, hygiene kits, sleeping kits, kitchen kits, family tents, and modular tents, have been distributed to displaced families in these municipalities.

For the ECT, a total of 5,237 families in the towns of JAS and Sarangani have received PHP34.9 million in emergency cash assistance. In JAS, 1,337 beneficiaries received ECT valued at PHP7.1 million, while 3,900 beneficiaries in Sarangani town received PHP27.8 million. Valmike Tara, a beneficiary of the ECT from Barangay Gomtago, Sarangani town, mentioned that the strong earthquake damaged their home and belongings. With the help received under the ECT, Tara expressed hopes to repair their house and start buying basic items that were lost in the disaster.

The ECT is one of the DSWD interventions that provides immediate financial assistance to disaster-affected families to meet their immediate needs and aid in their recovery.