As part of helping the families of earthquake victims rise up again, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region IX turned over more than 7,500 board feet of lumber to the municipalities of Glan and Malapatan in Sarangani Province on 17 July 2026.

According to DENR, the donation of these lumber is to support the rehabilitation of families affected by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Sarangani Province. The DENR added that under separate Deeds of Donation, the municipality of Glan received 5,518.75 board feet of lumber,  while the municipality of Malapatan received 2,000 board feet, accepted by its respective local chief executives.

The donated narra, mahogany, lauan, and gmelina lumber came from confiscated forest products and government-turned-over timber. These materials will be used to reconstruct homes of families with limited means to recover from the disaster.

The turnover was spearheaded by Dr. Heracleo M. Calasang, Jr., representing DENR Region IX OIC Regional Executive Director Marie Angelique C. Go, in coordination with DENR Region XII represented by Atty. Florencio C. Amago Jr., PENRO Sarangani headed by OIC PENR Officer Joy C. Ologuin, Park Operations Superintendent Cirilo A. Lagnason Jr., and CENRO Glan led by For. Franklin M. Lebrilla.

The initiative reflects the DENR's commitment with its regional offices to disaster recovery by transforming confiscated forest products into resources that help communities rebuild homes and restore lives.

Recovery has become severely hindered by extreme weather such as flash floods and secondary landslides struck Sarangani province in the middle of July. In areas like Barangay Mudan in Glan, overflowing earthquake-induced natural dams swept away homes that had managed to survive the original quake, leaving survivors with an acute shortage of food, shelter, and basic resources.

Local barangay and municipal officials admit that finding safe relocation sites for families is immensely difficult. Many evacuees are living in cramped village gyms, local churches, or makeshift tent setups near public grounds. Victims are appealing heavily for clean drinking water and raw construction materials to build temporary shelters.