President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. sought the assistance of local governments in Soccsksargen on Thursday in relocating families living in danger zones following the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that hit the region last week.

“Kung may relocation, kailangan n’yo kaming tulungan tungkol nga diyan sa paghanap ng lupang magagamit for the relocation,” President Marcos said during a situation briefing in General Santos City.

“But ‘yung NHA (National Housing Authority), may emergency fund din ‘yan. As soon as we can, papasok na ‘yung NHA para tingnan kung ano pang pwedeng gawin sa relocation, sa repair ng mga nasirang bahay,” he said.

According to Sarangani local officials, those affected were families were living near the shoreline.

“Karamihan sa tabing dagat, Sir, the LGU… nakabili na po kami ng relocation lot. Plano ko sir ‘yung mga nasirang bahay, hindi ko na sila (papayagan) magtayo ulit doon sa tabing-dagat. Ililipat ko na sila doon sa bagong relocation site na nabili ng LGU,” one official told the President.

Experts and officials also recommended that houses and settlements at the foot of active landslide area, even though not directly affected, must be relocated.

They said mitigating measures must be used on steep slopes previously affected by landslide in Glan, Sarangani province. Further assessment and validation of damages to housing and government infrastructure should also be conducted.

They reported that most of the damaged houses were made of light materials and were built not following the national building code, with some situated in high-risk areas.

Available government figures show there were 441 totally damaged houses in Sarangani, 122 in South Cotabato, and 13 in General Santos City. PND