ManilaTimes-July 29
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. “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. Faustino said close to 5,000 families in Abra, Ilocos and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) were affected by the earthquake. Read more at: https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/07/29/news/national/massive-quake-relief-effort-begins/1852631
