COTABATO CITY — The Army’s 10th Infantry Division (ID) mobilized more than a thousand soldiers from its units to assist in emergency response and relief efforts in tremor-stricken towns in Davao Oriental.
Major Gen. Allan D. Hambala, commander of the 10th ID, said on Sunday that among the first to respond and help villagers injured, as a result of the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that jolted the province on Friday morning, are personnel of two brigades of their division.
The assistant division commander of the 10th ID, Brig. Gen. Alvin V. Luzon, Brig. Gen. Jose Allan L. Taguba and Col. Harold M. Argamosa of the 701st and 1001st Infantry Brigades, respectively, are together overseeing the division’s disaster response operations in Mati City, the capital of Davao Oriental, and in nearby towns in the province.
The epicenter of the magnitude 7.4 earthquake last Friday morning was in Manay town in Davao Oriental.
Army officials the 10th ID dispatched to Davao Oriental for disaster impact mitigation efforts and Ednar G. Dayanghirang, director of the Office of Civil Defense 11 (OCD-11), confirmed on Saturday, that eight individuals in the province died while 531 others were rushed to hospitals due to tremor-related injuries.
Officials of the 10th ID, citing reports from local government units and the OCD-11, said the strong earthquake destroyed 111 houses and damaged 1,019 other structures in different towns in Davao Oriental.
The 7.4-magnitude earthquake that shook Manay and nearby areas in Davao Oriental early Friday was followed by a 6.8-magnitude aftershock in the evening of the same day.
Mr. Hambala said officials of units they dispatched to the province had reported that at least 70,471 families were badly affected by the disaster.
“Our soldiers are out there supporting the relief operations of local government units and the OCD-11,” Mr. Hambala said.
He said their emergency response efforts also cover the provinces of Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro and nearby areas in Region 13. — John Felix M. Unson
