Gov. Emmylou Mendoza noted that the province already declared states of calamity when the El Niño phenomenon struck during the first quarter of 2019, and last month when a dengue epidemic hit her constituents.

The provincial government of Cotabato — hit hardest by the magnitude 6.6 earthquake that struck on Tuesday and the magnitude 6.3 tremor two weeks ago — is now in quandary about declaring a state of emergency for a third time this year.

Gov. Emmylou Mendoza noted that the province already declared states of calamity when the El Niño phenomenon struck during the first quarter of 2019, and last month when a dengue epidemic hit her constituents.

Meanwhile, various national government agencies have already mobilized their respective teams to provide necessary assistance to the victims.

This month alone, Cotabato was hit by two powerful quakes — Tuesday’s magnitude 6.6 that killed at least seven people and injured 300 others and the 16 October magnitude 6.3 tremor that claimed the lives of six people.

Mendoza noted that the provincial government was still reeling from the effects of the first earthquake when another one transpired on Tuesday.

She stressed that the provincial government is considering a declaration of a third state of calamity. But she said she needs clarification from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) before she does so.

The governor said while the El Niño and dengue issues have already been addressed, the effects of the two successive powerful earthquakes require emergency responses, too.

“That is one thing we need to address also… I don’t understand whether there is double declaration of state of calamity,” Mendoza said.

“We will be meeting with our provincial disaster council on this. Hopefully, DILG will also declare guidelines whether you can have double or triple declaration. How do we go about this?” she added.

The Cotabato governor maintained that the provincial government still has a budget to assist victims of the quakes. However, she expressed concern if they can sustain this up to the end of the year.

“We have to be prudent on the utilization of funds so that we can survive up to December,” Mendoza explained.

So far, she said the provincial government has already received support from various national agencies, like the Departments of Health (DoH) and Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).

“Just last night (Tuesday), we delivered one truck of food and non-food items,” she added.

The official said Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go already paid them a visit and vowed full support from the National Housing Authority (NHA).

The OCD, Mendoza said, released P30,000 to the families of the fatalities, while P10,000 to P20,000 were given to those injured.

“Senator Go already visited us… and provided help. He asked the NHA to provide whatever assistance it can,” she shared.

In a separate interview, Irene Dumlao of the DSWD said Secretary Rolando Bautista already flew to Tulunan to personally supervise government efforts.

“He is there to personally supervise the ongoing assessment and to determine what particular assistance are needed by the affected families and individuals,” Dumlao said.

“Likewise, the Secretary was able to provide immediate relief assistance to the families of those who perished,” she added.

Dumlao said DSWD field offices in the Visayas Region were placed on red alert for possible augmentation of those in Mindanao.

She assured that the department has enough stockpile for the affected families, who preferred to stay to tents set up on open ground due to trauma.

“We have standby stockpile, we have P1.1 billion standby funds in our central office and field offices,” she added.