As recovery efforts continue in the aftermath of the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake, the Municipality of Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental, has received P300,000 in financial assistance from the City Government of Davao to support relief operations for affected residents.
JAS Mayor Jason John A. Joyce expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Davao City for its timely assistance, describing the aid as a significant boost to the municipalitys ongoing humanitarian response.
The cash assistance was formally turned over on Wednesday during a ceremony at the Provincial Governors Extension Office in Barangay Lacaron, Malita, Davao Occidental.
Davao City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) Head Alfredo Baluran personally handed over the assistance to Joyce, Municipal Administrator Elizabeth P. Arante, and Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer Cecilia V. Pelite.
According to the municipal government, the financial aid will help strengthen continuing relief and recovery efforts for families displaced and affected by the powerful earthquake.
The assistance forms part of Davao Citys broader disaster response under Ordinance Nos. 0286-26 to 0292-26, Series of 2026, which authorized financial assistance to seven local government units severely affected by the earthquake. The package includes P1 million for the Province of Davao Occidental, P500,000 for General Santos City, and P300,000 each for the municipalities of Sarangani, Jose Abad Santos, Glan, Malapatan, and Alabel.
Joyce thanked the City Government of Davao for its generosity, solidarity, and unwavering commitment to helping communities recover during one of the most challenging periods in their history.
Meanwhile, in a social media post, Joyce announced that the Local Government Unit, together with the Jose Abad Santos Municipal Police Station, headed by Chief of Police Burgos, had begun implementing a forced evacuation in Sitio Kibatang after days of conducting preemptive evacuations.
Over the past few days, we ordered preemptive evacuations, but today a forced evacuation order has become necessary to ensure everyones safety, Joyce said.
Joyce said the local government continues to closely monitor the situation and is urging residents living in high-risk areas to immediately comply with evacuation orders, warning that earthquake-related hazards remain a serious threat as recovery operations continue.
