Caraga mobilizes regional support for earthquake-hit areas in SOCKSARGEN
By Mariesh F. Celedeña
BUTUAN CITY (PIA) — The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Caraga deployed personnel to General Santos City on June 8, following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Maasim, Sarangani.
The personnel, who left in the evening on June 8, will serve as an augmentation team for the Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA) operations in the SOCCSKSARGEN region. Their deployment aims to help accelerate the assessment of the earthquake’s impact and identify the immediate relief, rehabilitation, and early recovery needs of affected communities.
During an interview with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Caraga, Ronald Anthony P. Briol, information officer II of OCD Caraga, said that the region is also prepared to provide additional humanitarian assistance as needed.
“Aside from the augmentation team, we have prepositioned relief non-food items that are ready for deployment to affected areas, depending on the results of the RDANA and needs of the communities,” Briol said.
Briol also noted that OCD Caraga has not recorded any major damage or casualties in the region despite the strong earthquake that was felt across several areas. With Caraga largely spared from significant impacts, the regional office immediately mobilized personnel to assist affected communities in SOCCSKSARGEN, reflecting the Filipino spirit of bayanihan and solidarity during times of disaster.
DSWD Caraga
Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Caraga has also dispatched two Mobile Storage Units (MSUs) to support ongoing disaster response operations in the affected region.
MSUs are large, rapidly deployable temporary warehouse facilities designed to serve as logistics hubs and multi-purpose operational spaces for receiving local government units. These structures help ensure the efficient storage, management, and distribution of relief goods and emergency supplies during disaster response efforts.
The deployment of personnel and resources underscores the Caraga region’s commitment to inter-regional cooperation and swift humanitarian action, reinforcing the government’s efforts, per the mandate of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., to provide immediate assistance and support recovery initiatives in communities affected by the powerful earthquake. (MFC, PIA Caraga)