Aid groups operating in the worst-hit areas of Malapatan and Glan said there was an urgent need for shelter, food, and especially water. However, they said damaged roads and bridges continue to hamper relief operations and delay the delivery of assistance to isolated areas.
ALABEL, Sarangani – When the magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Southern Mindanao, 63-year-old Fe Rotante was attending to a customer at a public market in Poblacion of Malapatan, where she has sold vegetables for years.
The ground suddenly shook.
“Pirte nakong hadluka. Nagkamang-kamang jud mi didto sa kalsada (I was terrified. We had to crawl our way along the road.),” Rotante recalled.
Fearful that a tsunami would strike, Rotante rushed home in Barangay Pananggalon, a coastal village in Malapatan located about five kilometers from the town center.
