The ripple effect of the earthquake with a 6.9 magnitude that had hit Mindanao
It was at 14:11 PST on December 15, 2019, when an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 hit Matanao, Magsaysay and Davao Del Sur in the Philippines, while a magnitude of 6 was recorded in the cities of Kidapawan, Gensan, Bansalan, Alabel, Malapatan, Sarangani and Koronadal which sent a ripple effect to the surrounding cities. PHIVOLCS thinks the Tangbulan Fault is the culprit.
Its epicentre, Matanao, experienced extensive damage and affected 207 out of 232 barangays in Davao del Sur alone. 5,973 houses in total were destroyed by the calamity in Davao del Sur, with 31,832 suffering damages and another 32 in North Cotabato. Collectively, there were 397 schools and 62 health facilities all around Davao del Sur, Sarangani, and North Cotabato that were affected.1
After a series of large aftershocks, casualties tallied 13 as of December 23 , 1 remained missing, and 210 people in total are injured.
On top of the abovementioned, one road in the Matanao was declared inaccessible, one hospital in Hagonoy was destroyed, and a police station as well as a fire station in Padada were damaged significantly.
All of these added up to the aftermath of Cotabato earthquakes which happened in October 2019.
This unfortunate event resonated to the whole world as many families of the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were affected, particularly, families of OFWs in Hong Kong. Electricity was down for a long period and on top of the many worries, it surely didn’t alleviate the hardships the Davaoeños were facing that time.
And so, with a positive fighting spirit and helpful hearts, OFWs in Hong Kong started a drive for donations of basic necessities such as food and hygiene kits to be sent to those who were affected. Also, a group of Hong Kong Davaoeños approached PrimeCredit for help.
PrimeCredit donated HK$30,000 (approximately 195,000 pesos) coursed through WIMLER Philippines, a non-profit organization based in Davao. PrimeCredit and WIMLER have been working together to promote social welfare and livelihood programs.
What you may not know…
Some Davaoeños produce artisan soaps, calendars, cardholders, and passport holders with all materials sourced locally. Since 2015, PrimeCredit has been in support of these entrepreneurial initiatives, ordering 20,000 pieces of these products as giveaways to customers during the Christmas season.
Photo Source:
www.facebook.com/leila.rispensnoel/posts/10214999712015761
1Sources: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Davao_del_Sur_earthquake ; https://youtu.be/JcFnIgfBmro