Manggarai Barat prepares Rp12 million earthquake award for local leaders

Labuan Bajo — Manggarai Barat Regent Edistasius Endi is preparing special assistance of up to Rp12 million for village heads and lurah whose areas were hit by the recent Flores earthquake, with the payment framed as recognition for their work during the emergency response and its legal basis still under preparation.

According to public radio RRI and local outlet Okebajo, Endi outlined the plan during a meeting reviewing the emergency phase and preparing the transition to post-earthquake recovery at the Manggarai Barat regency secretariat office. He said the assistance would reward village and urban-ward leaders in affected areas who were considered to have worked hard to support residents during the crisis.

Both reports state that the regency government is drafting a Regent Regulation to provide the formal legal basis for the payments, which are described as a bantuan khusus or special assistance in the form of an award rather than routine operational funding. The maximum proposed amount is Rp12 million per eligible village head or lurah, while the minimum level and detailed criteria were still being discussed.

An information portal operated by the Manggarai Barat administration, Info Mabar, also reported that the Regent is preparing special assistance for village heads and lurah as appreciation for their work handling the earthquake emergency. The official release similarly notes that the policy is being framed as a reward for performance in disaster management rather than compensation for individual losses.

Damage figures and data verification

RRI and Okebajo report that the number of homes recorded as damaged by the quake has changed as data collection progressed. Around 9,000 houses were initially listed in a real-time application as of 23 August 2026, rising to more than 12,000 units in offline records by 12 September. After verification, officials reported 13,658 damaged homes in Manggarai Barat.

Endi warned local officials not to manipulate damage reports, noting that one village declared 159 damaged houses but verification found only 10 met the criteria for assistance. He also highlighted villages such as Wae Wako and Poco Dedeng in Lembor district as examples where reported damage matched verification results.

As of Monday, 14 September 2026, the objection process had registered around 1,700 public complaints and identified nearly 200 houses that had not yet been captured in the records, according to RRI. The regent ordered a re-verification effort involving 50 personnel drawn from the public works office, the inspectorate and other regional agencies, working over four days and scheduled to conclude at 23:59 WITA on Thursday, 17 September 2026.

Tarpaulin supplies and recovery assistance

To support residents whose homes were damaged, the regency government has prepared 3,920 tarpaulins for distribution, according to both RRI and Okebajo. The stock comprises 2,250 sheets from new procurement and 1,670 units already stored in government warehouses, against estimated needs of around 6,000 tarpaulins.

Officials said tarpaulin distribution would prioritize residents who met the criteria and had not received tents from other sources, in order to avoid duplication. Endi instructed his team to accelerate the delivery of tarpaulins and tents, make verification results public and respond to each complaint filed during the objection period.

RRI and Okebajo further report that the regency plans to submit requests for central government funding for rehabilitation and reconstruction in stages. Data sets that have completed the objection and verification process will be sent first, while cases still under review will follow later, and passing verification does not automatically mean that funds have been disbursed.

Transition from emergency to recovery

The plan for leader assistance and the broader verification push come as Manggarai Barat moves from emergency response toward long-term recovery planning after the Flores quake. Local authorities are still refining damage records, handling public objections and organising material support for affected communities while they finalise the policy framework for rewarding village heads and lurah who led front-line responses to the disaster.

Sources

• RRI Ende - "Bupati Mabar Siapkan Bantuan Khusus untuk Kades dan Lurah Terdampak Gempa"
• Okebajo.com - "Kades dan Lurah Berprestasi dalam Penanganan Gempa Akan Dapat Bonus hingga Rp12 Juta dari Bupati Edi"
• Info Mabar (Government of Manggarai Barat) - "Apresiasi Kerja Keras Tangani Bencana, Bupati Edi Siapkan Bantuan Khusus Untuk Para Kades dan Lurah"