Massive quake relief effort begins

 Marcos in Abra This handout photo taken and received on Thursday, July 28, 2022 courtesy of Irelee Beralde shows President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (front row) visiting hospital patients evacuated to the grounds of the provincial hospital in Bangued town, Abra. AFP PHOTO

By Kristina Maralit , William B. Depasupil, Francis Earl Cueto and Arlie O. Calalo

THE government has mounted full-blown relief efforts in areas in Northern Luzon that were jolted by a 7.3-magnitude earthquake last Wednesday.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Thursday flew to Abra, which was the worst hit by the earthquake, to inspect and assess the resulting damage. He was joined by Secretaries Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos Jr. of Interior and Local Government, Erwin Tulfo of Social Welfare and Development, Jose Faustino Jr. of National Defense, and Anton Lagdameo, special assistant to the President.

At a situation briefing in the town of Bangued, Marcos ordered national government agencies to work closely with local governments "so that we can make sure na walang nangangailangan na hindi natin nabigyan ng tulong (that anyone needing our help will not be denied).

"We will just have to do as much as we can, as quickly as possible," he said.

With power in the entire province restored and communication lines and internet service steadily stabilizing, the President said the next step is to ensure all affected residents have enough food and potable water.

He said he will order the procurement of potable water purifying systems so that the use of plastic bottles for collecting water is minimized.

Marcos instructed the Department of National Defense and the military to deploy all available air assets to help the Department of Social Welfare and Development's field offices in Region 1 in distributing food and relief packs to residents in mountainous areas.

He also directed local agencies to provide tarpaulins and other construction materials to build temporary shelters for people who cannot yet return to their quake-damaged homes.

"We've covered as much as we can. We will continue to monitor, especially in the areas na wala pa tayong balita (where we haven't received news yet)," Marcos said.

13 national roads in quake-hit areas reopened to motorists –DPWH

Faustino said close to 5,000 families in Abra, Ilocos and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) were affected by the earthquake.

He said 2,312 families in Ilocos and CAR alone are staying in 31 evacuation centers.

Office of Civil Defense Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro 4th who was also at the briefing in Bangued, said the death toll remained at five while the number of injured had risen to 131.

Alejandro said the damage to infrastructure in Ilocos alone has reached P33.8 million.

Landslides close roads

The figure will rise once reports of damage to agriculture and other assets come in, he said.

At least 13 national road sections in the CAR blocked by rocks and debris loosened during the earthquake have been cleared and reopened, Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan said on Thursday.

Eight other roads were still being cleared.

More aftershocks recorded as Magnitude 5.1 quake rattles Isabela.

He put the initial damage to national roads at P59.23 million.

Already passable to vehicles are the Abra-Kalinga Road, the Abra-Ilocos Norte Road and Abra-Cervantes Road, all in Abra.

In Benguet, reopened were the Asin Road, Marcos Highway, Benguet-Nueva Vizcaya Road, Baguio-Bauang Road and Congressman Andres Acop Cosalan Road.

In Kalinga, reopened were the Mountain Province-Calanan-Pinukpuk-Abbut Road and the Kalinga-Abra Road.

In Mountain Province, already cleared were the Mountain Province-Cagayan via Tabuk-Enrile Road and the Mountain Province-Ilocos Sur Road, and the Santa Rancho Road (Calungbuyan Bridge) in Ilocos Sur.

Also on Thursday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) logged more than 800 aftershocks from the earthquake.

More aftershocks are expected in the coming two to three days, with magnitudes ranging from 1.5 to 5.0, Phivolcs said.

A 5.0-magnitude tremor was recorded at 4:02 a.m., Thursday, about 12 kilometers southwest of the town of Tayum, Abra, near where the earthquake struck.

Intensity 4 was felt in Bangued, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur; Intensity 3 in Sinait, Ilocos Sur and Tabuk, Kalinga; Intensity 2 in Gonzaga, Penablanca, Cagayan, and Laoag City, Ilocos Norte; and Intensity 1 in Baguio City and Claveria, Cagayan.