PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr is planning to visit Abra “as long as it is safe for him to travel to do so,” said Press Secretar Trixie Cruz-Angeles hours after magnitude 7.0 quake jolted Abra.
“He will make an inspection of the disaster areas,” she said.
Cruz-Angeles said Marcos might also inspect other quake-hit areas outside Abra province.
“He will go to all those areas where it is necessary, that his presence will be necessary. We will keep updating you as things develop,” she said.
Marcos. has ordered the immediate delivery of relief assistance to the victims of the strong earthquake that jolted Abra province on Wednesday morning.
“Sa kabila ng nakalulungkot na mga ulat tungkol sa pinsalang dulot ng lindol, ating sinisigurado ang maagap na pagtugon sa mga pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayang apektado ng sakunang ito (Despite this saddening news about the damage this earthquake has caused, we are assuring everyone of the immediate dispatch of assistance to our affected countrymen),” Marcos said in a Twitter post.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake jolted the Lagangilang town in Abra on Wednesday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.
The tectonic quake, which had a depth of 25 kilometers, struck 2 kilometers northeast of the municipality of Lagangilang at 8:43 a.m., according to a Phivolcs bulletin.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) received preliminary information on the damage caused by the strong quake that hit Abra.
In a press conference, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said Marcos is presently coordinating with NDRRMC, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and concerned local government units (LGUs) to ensure the speedy assistance to quake victims in Abra.
“He has ordered an immediate dispatch of rescue and relief teams to Abra. The President is also coordinating with local officials there, and all agencies involved in disaster preparation and relief, equipment for use all of these have been ordered dispatch by the president,” Cruz-Angeles said.
Marcos, Cruz-Angeles said, has also directed the telecommunications service providers to provide immediate assistance and free communication to all locations where towers have gone down “to keep these communication channels open.”
