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| One of the collapsed buildings in Abra. |
A magnitude 7 earthquake in Abra jolted the rest of Luzon at 8:43 this morning,
leaving four people dead, scores injured and billions of pesos worth of damage to buildings, churches, other properties, roads and bridges.
The quake, traced to a spot 17 kilometers below the town of Tayum,
Abra, was felt in most of Luzon, especially in Metro Manila where skyscrapers
swayed for almost one minute, triggering panic among workers. Expected
aftershocks could cause more damage.
Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said two of the fatalities
were from Benguet, one from Abra, and one from Mt. Province.
Of the fatalities, only three have been confirmed:
·
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council (NDRRMC) reported one who died in Benguet.
·
Another report said a construction worker was killed
in Barangay Buyagan, La Trinidad, Benguet, when he was hit by falling debris
from a building that collapsed.
·
Abra Gov. Jocelyn Bernos said a 25-year-old man
was killed after he was pinned by a concrete slab in the capital town of Bangued.
Authorities said the death toll may still rise as rescue
workers work through the night clearing landslides triggered by the tremor and
the rubble of buildings that collapsed or were damaged.
Damage was reported in the following:
·
Most towns of Abra, where local governments
reported buildings had collapsed or were damaged. Several bridges collapsed in Lagangilang
town.
·
Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, where century-old
structures of Spanish colonial and Asian architecture are a tourist attraction.
·
Baguio, along with several mountain towns in the
area, were isolated by landslides that buried roads leading to them.
·
Kennon Road, the Benguet-Vizcaya Road, the
Baguio-Bua-Itogon Road, and Mt. Data Cliff were closed to vehicular traffic due
to several landslides.
·
The Mountain Province-Ilocos Sur Road via Tue
and Kayan Roads in Mankayan were closed due but the Department of Public Works
and Highways has sent heavy equipment to clear the landslides.
·
The Baguio-Bontoc Road and the Mountain
Province-Cagayan Road via the Tabuk-Enrile Road have been cleared of rocks and
other debris.
The list is expected
to lengthen as more reports are received.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told a press briefing he
would not go to the disaster areas for the meantime to avoid disrupting relief
work led by Social Work Secretary Raffy Tulfo, who arrived by helicopter in
Bangued before lunch.
But Marcos gave instructions to disaster and relief officials:
“Make sure to inspect the buildings for
cracks and watch out for landslides, especially when it rains.”
He also raised the possibility of reviving a bill, which died
in the Senate after being passed by the House of Representatives, that would
create the Department on Disaster Resilience.
"Mukhang...I don't like to say it, mukhang mapapadalas
ito eh... not the earthquake pero 'yung weather, lalo na 'yung extreme
weather... kahit hindi bagyo, nakikita mo sa Europe, sa Amerika, baka naman
abutan tayo ng ganyan, 'yung napakainit masyado," Marcos added.
"So these are the things that we have to be careful, we
need more capability than we have now. Magaling na tayo sa bagyo, marunong na
tayo sa lindol pero ang mga dangers, the effects of climate change are
different, that's why we need a specialist agency," he added.
Senators responded by throwing their support, with Senate
President Juan Miguel Zubiri said: "I fully support it and You have the
support from this chair."
