By Alec Go
A state of calamity has been declared in the Province of Abra on Thursday, July 28, following the magnitude 7 earthquake that hit the province and other areas in Luzon on Wednesday, July 27.
Based on Resolution No. 180, the declaration will mobilize the province and its 27 local government units to “respond to the immediate needs” of the earthquake-hit population in the province.
The 5% calamity reserve fund will also be available and ready for utilization. Immediate assistance is also sought from the national government for “disaster response, relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction support.”
The resolution noted that the major earthquake affected 80% of the provincial population, while major public and private facilities were”severely damaged” and power lines were destroyed resulting in power outages.
It added that “the destruction of houses, buildings and bridges have paralyzed the operation of business establishments likewise, displacing a lot of Abranios as they stay out of their homes without food.”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Wednesday that there is no need yet for the declaration of a national state of emergency following the earthquake.
In his visit to Bangued town in Abra on Thursday, he ordered concerned agencies and local government units anew to ensure strengthened assistance to affected sectors, as well as the prioritization of water supply restoration.
