Mayor of Cataingan said the town has no funds to help victims of magnitude 6.6 earthquake that hit Masbate yesterday, citing most of their budget was allocated to COVID-19 response.
Cataingan Mayor Felipe Cabataña, in an interview on GMA News’ Unang Balita, called on the national government for funds to aid the residents affected by the earthquake.
“Kung maaari sana ‘yung pananawagan ko sa national government na sana tulungan kami kasi ang pondo namin sa calamity halos naubos na sa COVID,” Cabataña said.
(I call on the national government to help us because COVID almost depletes our calamity fund.)
“Hindi naman kami mag-aasa na may lindol na darating kaya hindi namin nalagyan ng allocation ‘yung ganitong klaseng kalamidad kaya medyo nahihirapan ang tao,” he added.
(We did not expect that we would experience an earthquake, so we did not allocate a calamity, so people here are struggling.)
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported a magnitude 6.5 earthquake hit Cataingan, Masbate, on Tuesday morning.
The earthquake was recorded at 8:03 a.m. Its epicenter was located at 11.98°N, 123.98°E – 005 km S 17° W of Cataingan.
A retired police officer died following the magnitude 6.6 earthquake that rocked Masbate province.
Masbate earthquake victims
According to Masbate Provincial Police Office, the fatality was identified as retired Police Colonel Gilbert Sauro, a resident of Sitio Alimango in Barangay Concepcion in Cataingan town.
Meanwhile, Masbate public information office chief Jun Bagahilog said in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV that 10 individuals were injured in Palanas.
Cabataña said that some residents have been staying outside of their houses as aftershocks occur in their area every two to three hours.
“‘Yung mga tao ayaw nang pumasok sa mga bahay nila. Takot na takot na talaga sa lindol kasi ‘yung lindol ang pinakamalakas na lindol na nangyari dito sa amin,” he said.
The mayor appealed for donations of tents to give resident temporary shelters.
However, Cabataña was worried that the evacuees could not observe social distancing in evacuation centers due to limited space. He said 10 to 20 families have evacuated in each barangay.