Makilala LGU to give away construction materials for quake victims

MAKILALA, North Cotabato - The local government of Makilala will distributed construction materials for residents whose houses were either totally damaged or partially destroyed by the 5.2 earthquake that hit the province on September 20, officials said.Mayor Rudy Caoagdan said the LGU has alloted more than P1 million for the procurement of construction materials to be distributed to residents in Makilala's villages affected by the tremor. Caoagdan made the announcement after the validation of quake victims have been completed by the municipal disaster risk reduction and management council.Distribution is scheduled next week yet. He said the LGU will call for bayanihan system in extending assistance to the affected families, mostly from the village of Luayon which was celebrating its foundation day when the earthquake hit. Spearheading the rehabilitation are the Makilala municipal engineering office, the Makilala PNP, Department of Educationand elements of the 57th Infantry Battalion.Among the affected are houses, a chapel, a village hall, water system and school buildings. Eight villages were listed as severely affected. These are Luayon,Bato, Santo Niño, Malabuan, Luna Sur, New Baguio, Guangan and Barangay Poblacion.About 100houses were destroyed or partially damagedin the successive tremors that the Phivolcs described as swamps. Earlier, Cynthia Ortega, provincial disaster risk reduction and management council chair, said155 houses were affected by the earthquake including 32 totally damaged houses in Luayon.She saidaround 208 families or 1,014 individuals were affected.