TECHNICAL Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Danilo P. Cruz
TECHNICAL Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Danilo P. Cruz has instructed its field offices to help the areas affected by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Northern Luzon last July 27.
“All concerned Regional and Provincial Offices are directed to send immediate assistance through the ‘TESDAmayan’ Program,” Cruz said in a memorandum to its field offices in Regions I and II and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
The “TESDAmayan” is the agency’s banner program that aims to assist communities affected by any crisis brought about by natural calamities, disasters, or any other untoward incidents which cause displacement.
Under his directive, the field offices were also directed to activate their disaster team/Regional Augmentation Team to ensure that affected areas would be assisted and provided interventions in terms of human resources and technical complementation.
Likewise, they were ordered to coordinate with the proper regional /provincial government agencies and local chief executives to assess the needed assistance in their respective areas.
Meanwhile, Cruz said TESDA is ready to provide interventions, particularly training programs to residents of areas affected by the earthquake, especially when rehabilitation in the affected localities starts.
“Let us remember that technical and vocational education is not just acquiring skills and competencies. It is about improving the economic and social standing of the Filipinos including those who are recovering from the effects of natural calamities,” the TESDA Chief said.
Ever since, TESDA has been providing assistance, particularly relief packs and provision of skills training on construction-related programs to the residents of disaster-hit areas to make them capable of rebuilding their houses and creating livelihood.
THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said as of 6:00 AM Friday, July 29, 2022, partial cost of damage to roads and bridges of the recent quake that hit Luzon was recorded at P396.58 DPWH Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan said that breakdown on damage cover the P104.53 million on national roads and P292.05 million on national bridges in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Regions 1 and 2.
Meanwhile, five remaining impassable road sections in CAR and Region 1 are still being cleared by the DPWH Quick Response Teams namely:
1) Lubuagan-Batong Buhay Road K0463+700, K0464+000 sections in Puapo, Dangtalan, Pasil and K0464+600, K0464+700, K0464+800 sections in Colong, Lower Uma, Lubuagan, in Kalinga Province (due to landslide and rock collapse);
2) Baguio – Bontoc Road K0347+090 – K0347+180, and K0347+280 – K0347+340 Mt. Data Cliff, Bauko, Mt. Province (due to soil collapse);
3) Tagudin – Cervantes Road K0350+950, and K0353+100 section in Ilocos Sur (due to landslide and rockslide);
4) Jct. Santiago-Banayoyo-Lidlidda-San Emilio-Quirino Road K0393+000 Brgy. Cayos, Quirino, Ilocos Sur (due to landslide and rockslide); and
5) Cervantes-Aluling-Bontoc Road K0387+(-950), Brgy. Aluling, Cervantes, Ilocos Sur (due to landslide and rockslide);
Target reopening of affected roads in CAR is by 5:00 pm on Saturday, July 30, 2022.
