The Province of Negros Oriental has purchased five brand new heavy equipment for the rehabilitation efforts for the damage caused by tropical storm Sendong and the Feb. 6 magnitude 6.9 earthquake.
The heavy equipment consisted of a grader, bulldozer, payloader, backhoe and a road roller were blessed at the parking lot of the Lamberto Macias Sports & Cultural Center last week.
Gov. Roel Degamo said the equipment was worth Php 58 million, which they were able to negotiate to Php 56 million.
“I can assure you this equipment are all brand new,” Degamo told reporters.
He said that after these equipment are checked by the Commission on Audit, they will be put to use by re-chanelling the rivers damaged by TS Sendong. “That is their primary purpose,” he said.
Meanwhile, the report of the Provincial Risk Reduction and Management Council has pegged the death toll of the earthquake at 55 while 60 others are listed as missing.
As of Feb. 24, the PDRRMC said that there were 24 dead in Guihulngan, 12 in La Libertad, 10 in Jimalalud, three in Tayasan, three in Ayungon, one in Bindoy, and two in Manjuyod.
A total of 63,363 families or 316,815 persons were affected by the earthquake. They are from 166 barangays in nine towns and one city in northern Negros Oriental.
