I have also directed the military to remove the people from the highways begging and blocking vehicles bringing relief goods and take them to their communities.

Soldiers come to the rescue of a resident of Sitio Kapatagan in North Cotabato which was isolated by the string of eathquakes that hit last week. Government assistance has been stepped up in the affected provinces.

Relief starts trickling down to the affected areas of the recent string of strong earthquakes that hit Mindanao, with the government identifying the number of families and individual victims of the tremors for easier distribution of support from food and water to temporary shelters.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Sunday morning said 35,661 families have been listed as victims of the three major tremors of no less than magnitude 6 in the last two weeks.

Translated to individuals, the NDRRMC said it is equal to 178,305 persons affected by the quakes.

The victims, according to NDRRMC executive director Ricardo Jalad, are from 200 barangays in Regions 11 and 12 (Davao and Soccsksargen).

As of this writing, the agency has secured 4,362 families, or 21,810 individuals, in temporary shelters in 30 evacuation centers.

Another 1,493 families or around 7,465 individuals are receiving support from outside of these shelters.

The two most recent quakes, which came in days’ succession, claimed 21 lives and injured 432 in Regions 10 (Northern Mindanao), 11, 12 and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Still two more are reported missing.

According to the NDRRMC, 12 persons died during the magnitude 6.6 earthquake on 29 October, while another nine died due to the magnitude 6.5 tremor on 31 October.

Infrastructure damaged by the quakes, including those in the Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9), was placed at 28,932.

The China government has donated P22 million for the relief efforts.

It will receive a boost from the Office of Civil Defense 11 (OCD 11), which declared P12 million worth of assistance from the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council 11 (RDRRMC 11) for Davao Occidental and Davao del Sur province.

Manuel Luis Ochotorena, regional director of OCD 11, also reported that the series of tremors has also caused psychological stress to the affected families in the whole of Mindanao.

“For the spirit of bayanihan as what we Filipinos are known for, there are groups or individuals who donated different kinds of assistance (mostly food, water, kitchen utensils, clothes) to the earthquake-stricken areas of the Davao region and many more groups, organizations or individuals are signifying their intent to provide help in the community,” he said.

He added that significant to such response operation is a 24/7 response mechanism in the region in close coordination with the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (LDRRMC).

“We would like to request and remind all groups, organizations or individuals who wish to provide in-kind or cash assistance to always have direct coordination with LDRRMC to ensure that all affected communities or families will be able to receive the necessary assistance,” Ochotorena said.

He added that all donations in Davao del Sur, the most affected province in the region, is coursed through the Provincial and Municipal DRRM Offices or Incident Command Posts (ICP) located in their respective provincial capitol or municipal halls.

Meanwhile, as relief goods are starting to flow into the areas affected by the quakes, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana also raised the need to filter what is coming in and out of the devasted island.

The Defense chief yesterday tasked the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in setting up checkpoints for the proper recording of the arrival and transport of relief goods to the quake-affected vicinities.

He said the action is aimed at helping stabilize the situation in the affected areas after he was named head of all government relief operations in Davao del Sur and North Cotabato on Saturday.

“I have also issued a directive for the putting up of checkpoints at all entry points to the disaster areas, so that we can record all relief goods and relief workers coming in,” Lorenzana said.

Only legitimate and authorized relief workers will be granted access to the evacuation centers, he said. The AFP will also monitor the relief goods and supplies which will be distributed to the evacuees.

“The checkpoints will also screen those kibitzers,” he added.

Lorenzana also instructed relevant authorities to properly manage the evacuation centers.

He confirmed the instruction was made in response to reports that certain groups are rushing the arrival of the relief vehicles and getting anything they can in unorderly manner.

“I have also directed the military to remove the people from the highways begging and blocking vehicles bringing relief goods and take them to their communities, so they can be properly attended to,” Lorenzana added.

He said relief organizations can coordinate with the troops for proper distribution of their donations to the affected families.

Military units can direct them to areas needing their assistance, he added.

The AFP, especially the Army, has already deployed a task force in Kidapawan, Cotabato to coordinate the military’s operation with ongoing government relief operations.

“I have also directed an engineering contingent to proceed to the area to help in rescue and recovery (operations),” he said.

The NDRRMC is also in Kidapawan to help oversee the conduct of the relief efforts.

“For the other needed supplies, such as water containers, some donors are currently procuring them in Manila and will be transported to Davao together with other supplies in a couple of days.

All our efforts are in coordination with the Acting Provincial Governor who has taken charge of the whole relief operation. There are sufficient relief goods available. It’s just a matter of properly distributing them,” Lorenzana said.