Emergency Response Teams (ERTs) from the Nickel Asia Corporation (NAC) and its subsidiaries responded to the search, rescue, and retrieval operations amid recent quakes that rattled Cotabato and its neighboring towns.
The teams performed first-aid and distributed food packages and drinking water, mosquito nets, and meters of blue canvas sheets used as tent materials by evacuees and affected families.
“All barangays were badly affected with some people continuing to stay outdoors, afraid more aftershocks would hit,” Ailyn Tocmo, a government employee from Barangay Kisante, was quoted saying in a Manila Standard report.
Barangay Biangan Kagawad Teresa Palban also stated in the report that all the houses were deemed “unsafe” until cleared and declared otherwise, and the residents will have to wait until the local government signals that it is safe to go back to their homes.
The NAC subsidiaries such as the Taganito Mining Corp. (TMC), the Cagdianao Mining Corp. (CMC), and the Hinatuan Mining Corp. (HMC) were among the first to respond.
The CMC brought 500 food packs, 500, 10-L bottles of drinking water, and 200 meters of blue canvas sheet. HMC also provided 250 food packs, 250, 6.6-L bottles of drinking water , and 300 meters of blue canvas sheets cut and prepared to be used as roofs and sleeping mats.
The TMC also received support from its contractors and mining services providers and gathered 3,000 food packs and 2,086 gallons of drinking water.
“We get generous expressions of ‘thank you’ and the people are cooperative. They are easy to organize when it comes to distribution of goods. Our job here is challenging but motivating,” said TMC Engineer Rennan Cuadrillero.
The ERT members are volunteer-employees from NAC’s mining companies composed of mining engineers and geologists, medical practitioners and first-aiders, heavy equipment operators and carpenters, foresters and environment technologists, and social workers, headed and organized by the company’s Safety Department.
