6 bodies recovered, 46 still missing in Maco, Davao de Oro landslide

Six bodies were recovered from the landslide in Maco, Davao de Oro, the provincial government said on Wednesday.

Citing information from Maco Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), the Davao de Oro government added that 31 injured people have been rescued.

“Based on the initial report (for validation) from MDRRMO Maco, as of 2:00PM today (February 7, 2024), six (6) bodies have been recovered from the landslide and thirty-one (31) injured people were rescued,” it said.

Forty-six people were still missing in the landslide, the provincial government said.

“The rescue operation is still ongoing with government agencies and rescue teams in the province. Let's always be careful Dabawenyos and let's continue to pray for the people affected by the incident,” it added.

Around 758 families were staying in evacuation centers.

On Tuesday night, a landslide hit a garage of a bus company, barangay hall, and residential areas in Zone 1 Barangay Masara.

The affected area was near a mining site where employees were working in three shifts for its 24-hour operation. Some workers were about to go home when the landslide occurred.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said more residents were feared buried aside from around 30 passengers of two buses that were initially reported.

Rescuers were facing challenges with their operation because the landslide was massive.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Tuesday said the number of individuals affected by the effects of the Northeast Monsoon or Amihan and the trough of a low-pressure area has reached a million.

During a situation briefing in Davao City Wednesday, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said P265 million have been released to assist those affected by floods and landslide in the region.

''From the reports that we have had, I think that we are doing all right in the food— the provision of food packs, etc. But as the Secretary (Rex Gatchalian) was explaining, it gets to the point na hindi lang pagkain ang kailangan ng tao. They need to buy other things para sa kanilang household,'' he said.

''That's why the ECTs (emergency cash transfer) have become very important and that's why I released P265 million to make sure that the pace of the response is immediate at maramdaman kaagad ng tao, meron kaagad silang tulong. Maramdaman nila kaagad na meron silang gagamitin sa pangangailangan nila,'' he added. 

Marcos on infra

Meanwhile, speaking during the ceremonial signing of the civil works contracts for the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project on Wednesday, Marcos said the country’s infrastructure should respond to the needs of the present times.

"My instructions concerning projects across the board, all over the country, are very clear: Deliver on time, on spec, and on budget,:  Marcos said in his speech.

"There is another instruction to all agencies that I need to have fully complied with, of which the recent flooding in Mindanao has emphatically shown. The infrastructure we are building must not only wipe out arrears of the past, but must respond to the needs of the present, and anticipate circumstances in the future," he added.

The President also vowed to continue developing Davao, including providing better public transport in the region.—KG/KBK/AOL, GMA Integrated News