Jose Abad Santos barangay to use disaster fund to buy drilling equipment for potable water

JOSE ABAD SANTOS, Davao Occidental (MindaNews / 14 July 2026) — Barangay Sugal in this municipality is going for a more long-term approach to the spate of disasters in Davao Occidental by using its disaster funds to buy a drilling machine to search for potable water. 

Residents of Barangay Sugal in Jose Abad Santos municipality gather at a creek to take a bath and to wash laundry on Tuesday (14 July 2026). Even more of a problem is potable water, which has become difficult to source since the Magnitude 7.8 earthquake on June 8 and the recent floods. MindaNews photo by GREGORIO C. BUENO

The Magnitude 7.8 earthquake last June 8 and more recent floods have rendered hundreds homeless and, in the worst cases, without a source of potable water.

Barangay captain Gerardo Castro IV, speaking to MindaNews at his home in Sitio Kibatang on Monday, said the Barangay Council has approved a resolution seeking to buy the equipment. 

The barangay has an annual budget of around ₱6 million, Castro said.

₱300,000 from that amount, or 5%, is allocated automatically for disaster mitigation and response, with around ₱210,000 allocated for disaster preparedness. 

The rest, around ₱90,000, is allocated for disaster response. 

The barangay has a population of around 3,000 in 923 households. 

Castro said the barangay council has identified a supplier coming from Tarlac and hopes to receive the equipment two weeks after the funds are released to the council. 

The equipment costs around ₱250,000, with additional costs for drill bits and shipping and delivery. 

He said that the barangay will look for additional sources of funds with the amount exceeding its current annual budget. 

But before that, he said that the Department of Interior and Local Government has to give its opinion about the purchase. “We have asked for their advice,” Castro said. 

The mayor said that Barangay Sugal currently has four evacuation camps from across six sitios.

The barangay used to have three spring water sources, but recent floods have covered these up, he pointed out. Only one source of water remains from one of the springs. 

Many residents of Barangay Sugal have been living in tents in evacuation camps since the Magnitude 7.8 earthquake. MindaNews photo by GREGORIO C. BUENO

The barangay also faces another problem: relocation. 

Castro said that with some homes totally destroyed, some residents could no longer come back to these areas to build another house. 

In an interview Monday, JAS Mayor Jason John Joyce told MindaNews that the municipal government is identifying relocation sites along with shelter non-government organizations as well as shelter agencies such as the National Housing Authority and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development. 

But he said that realistically, it might take at least two years to get all of the settlements finalized. (Yas D. Ocampo / MindaNews)