Some residents in earthquake-hit Abra have yet to receive aid, Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo said, amid damaged roads and rains brought by the southwest monsoon (habagat) and tropical depression “Ester.”
Because of this, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council started mapping its next steps to carry out relief operations in areas hit by the magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Northern Luzon.
NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal said the agency discussed “preparations for the possible impact of rains to the earthquake-affected areas.”
In particular, local DRRM offices in the affected regions were directed to coordinate with the authorities to provide water supply augmentation in Bangued, the capital of Abra.
Tulfo, for his part, urged residents to head to the municipality or to the barangay office for faster coordination of aid.
All of Abra’s 27 municipalities were badly hit by the quake, Tulfo said.
The NDRRMC reported on Saturday that the number of families affected by the earthquake has climbed to 62,024, or equivalent to 228,238 persons living in 639 villages in the regions of Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, and Cordillera.
The NDRRMC said 46 evacuation centers are sheltering 1,910 families or 6,490 individuals, while the rest are being aided by families and friends.
The Department of Public Works and Highways, for its part, reported the partial cost of damage to roads, bridges, and flood-control structures at P596.7 million as of Saturday.
DPWH – Cordillera recorded initial damage to infrastructure at P491,170,138.76.
The damage were mostly on roads, particularly at the Abra-Ilocos Norte Road; Abra-Cervantes Road; Abra-Kalinga Road; and Abra-Ilocos Sur Road.
Damage to flood control infrastructures is at P190 million while the National Irrigation Authority reported P4.5 million worth of damage in Cordillera.
For his part, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the return of the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) would help bolster the country’s capability in dealing with disasters.
In his weekly vlog aired on Saturday, Marcos said the ROTC is designed to train high school students not only for national defense preparedness but also for disaster response and emergency management.
“We can better equip our civilians to respond to disasters through the ROTC program. They will be taught not just national defense but also disaster preparedness and capacity-building,” he said.
Marcos said while Filipinos are naturally caring and always ready to help others in times of disasters, those who respond to calamities must be properly trained and equipped with knowledge and skills in disaster response.