General santos city: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced financial assistance for earthquake-affected General Santos City, including PHP1 million for the repair of the city hall and PHP50,000 for each family who lost a loved one in the magnitude 7.8 earthquake.
According to Philippines News Agency, during his visit to the affected areas, President Marcos stated that the Office of the General Santos City Mayor received the funding from the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) to assist in restoring the damaged city hall. The Department of Budget and Management will also allocate funds for infrastructure repairs in Sarangani and South Cotabato.
Marcos assured that families who lost relatives in the earthquake will receive PHP50,000 as assistance. He toured several sites in General Santos City, including schools, a hospital, and a distribution center for government aid, to evaluate damage and oversee relief efforts. Engineers are currently inspecting damaged structures to assess their safety and determine if major repairs or demolitions are needed.
The President emphasized the government's commitment to continued relief and response efforts to expedite recovery in the affected communities. He reported that power supply is 85 percent restored, though repairs are delayed at two power plants due to damaged roads.
The Office of Civil Defense reported that at least 37 people died in the earthquake that struck Maasim, Sarangani, and nearby provinces on June 8. The NDRRMC stated that 33,596 families, or 149,372 people, in 184 villages across multiple regions were affected, with 2,994 houses damaged, including 495 completely destroyed.
In a related development, Senator Francis Pangilinan proposed a PHP15-billion rebuilding roadmap under Senate Bill No. 2249 to aid Mindanao's recovery. The fund aims to support repairs of essential infrastructure and requires quarterly accountability reports. Government reports indicate the quake caused over PHP1 billion in damages, with 37 deaths, 479 injuries, and four missing individuals.
