Magnitude 7.8 Earthquake Leaves Devastation in Glan, Sarangani

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The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Mindanao on June 8 has left villages in ruins in the town of Glan, Sarangani. At least 33,026 houses were damaged, and the local community is struggling to come to terms with the devastating impact of the quake.

Tell the full story in full detail. Every paragraph must add NEW information — a new fact, a new name, a new number, a new event. Cover everything from the source first, then use your knowledge to add SPECIFIC background from any of these angles:

— Who is the person? Their full name, title, who appointed them, when, why they were notable, any past controversies

The Department of Social Welfare and Development has a Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens program that provides a monthly pension of P1,000 to indigent senior citizens. However, Seferino Ugdamin, a 75-year-old farmer, is struggling to access this assistance because of the destruction caused by the earthquake.

— What is the specific project, organisation, or place? Its history, scale, cost, what it was supposed to do, what went wrong

Glan is known as the 'summer capital' of Sarangani and the oldest established municipality in the province. The earthquake has left a huge dent on its tourism and coastal communities, with some roads and bridges suffering damage and being rendered unusable.

— What were the specific charges? What happened during the investigation and trial?

Mayor Victor James Yap Sr. told Rappler that tourism is really affected because all the beaches are closed. The earthquake and subsequent aftershocks did not spare the local mosque.

— What amounts of money were involved? Where did the money come from? Who was affected?

The cost of labor per day alone is estimated to be at P700. Seferino Ugdamin could only count the coins in his pockets, knowing it would not be enough to pay for even one strand of wood worth P15.

— What happens next? Who will enforce the ruling, what is the legal process from here?

The Glan municipal government has identified 13,314 damaged houses, while the Sarangani provincial government has tallied 33,026 damaged houses in the province. The local community is in dire need of assistance to recover from the devastating impact of the quake.

A 75-year-old farmer is struggling to access aid after a powerful earthquake struck Mindanao. "Naa unta mi senior citizen [assistance] pero dugay kaayo muabot. Tag-tulo ka buwan maghulat unya karon hapit na lima ka buwa," Ugdamin said. (Supposedly, we would receive senior citizen assistance, but it takes too long to arrive. It takes around three months of waiting, and now, it has been five months already.)

A resident of Pangyan, Noriam Abubacar, said that she was afraid during the earthquake as coconuts were falling from trees. She added that a relative was hit on the head by a falling coconut and hasn’t returned home from the hospital.

Painful memories remain for the residents of Glan, Sarangani, after a devastating earthquake struck the area.

"Mao mani ang gihatag sa Ginoo sa atoa. Dawaton na lang nato," Abubacar said. (This is what God gave us. We can only accept it.)

The government has yet to provide adequate assistance to the affected communities.