The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 11 is preparing a three-year rehabilitation plan for earthquake-hit Davao Occidental while urging the national government to adopt policy reforms to speed up post-disaster recovery, saying reconstruction efforts from previous calamities remain far behind schedule.
During the Resilience Information Caravan in Davao City on Friday, OCD-11 Regional Director Ednar Dayanghirang said emergency response to the magnitude 7.8 earthquake is continuing even as government agencies have shifted to the early recovery phase.
“In regards to the 7.8 earthquake, the response natin is padayon. Daghan pa’g mga ginatabangan. Gani kahapon mga bugas gipang-distribute na namo. Then the early recovery naa na pod. Naa’y cash gipanghatag para magamit nila pang-repair sa mga balay,” Dayanghirang told Edge Davao.
He said an inter-agency Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) team has already been deployed to prepare the province’s long-term recovery roadmap.
The team is composed of representatives from the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Education (DepEd), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the OCD, and other government agencies.
“Ang purpose nila is ihapon to quantify all damages. All, as in all. Balay nimo, balay niya, farm nimo, farm niya, tulay, karsada, everything and put a price on it. Presyohan,” he said.
Dayanghirang said the assessment is expected to be completed by the second week of August and will serve as the basis for the Provincial Disaster Rehabilitation Plan for Davao Occidental.
“Then pag makuha na ang data, may presyo na, may workshop na, which will end on August, second week of August. Ang output ana would be Provincial Disaster Rehabilitation Plan. So, data naa na, unsay himoon, then presyohan pod. Kana Davao Occidental Rehabilitation Plan. Presyohan how much we need. How much was damaged, and the plan would determine pila ang kailangan,” he said.
He said the rehabilitation plan will be implemented over three years, with funding expected to come from the National Disaster Fund, local government units, national government agencies, and development partners such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the World Bank.
“Kanang recovery plan, three years lang ang tagal ha, ang effectivity. Ang pondo, sources of fund, number one – National Disaster Fund; number two – Local Government Fund; number three – Agency Fund. So bisag ang JICA, World Bank, any fund. So dito sa planning, naa na ta’y identification kinsay mogasto,” he said.
However, Dayanghirang said the government needs to revisit its disaster rehabilitation strategy, pointing to the slow pace of reconstruction following previous disasters.
He said rehabilitation projects from the 2019 Mindanao earthquakes have yet to be completed, while billions of pesos allocated for recovery from the 2024 shear line disaster remain unutilized.
“Example, katong shear line nato, per our record we need P23 billion to recover. That was 2024, February. Mag-end na na this year. Karon naa pa ta sa mga P6 or P7 billion pa ang kwarta nga nagtuyok. Ang 2019 earthquake, wala pa mahurot. Until now, wala pa mahuman,” he said.
Dayanghirang said the delays prompted him to recommend policy changes to the OCD central office, including prioritizing the rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure before constructing new facilities.
“That’s why I am questioning now and trying to discuss with the central office, maybe we have to review the rehabilitation recovery strategy nato because we are not hitting the mark. We are not hitting the targets. So if we are not hitting, there’s a problem. It’s either dungagan nato ang P22 billion a year, himoon natong P100 billion a year, or mag-allocate na lang gyud, o mahimong policy na. Bago ka maghimo og eskwelahan na bago, tapuson trabahoon sa to ang nangaguba,” he said.
“What’s the logic of building a new school, unya ang nangaguba, wala gipondohan? So that needs a national policy para ang agency mosunod. I’m recommending it to the higher-ups for their consideration,” he added.
Dayanghirang said such reforms would help ensure that disaster-stricken communities recover more quickly and that government resources are used more effectively in rebuilding damaged infrastructure.
