By Marc Cosep, Rey Pasaporte
PIO Reporters

CEBU CITY (August 3, 2022) — Mayor Michael Rama today instructed Atty. Gerry Carillo to study how the city will apportion the P50 million in financial assistance promised for Abra, which was hit by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake last July 27.

Although no exact amount has been mentioned yet for every recipient Local Government Unit (LGU), he said the financial assistance would only be limited to areas which experienced an intensity of 4 to 7.

Atty. Gerry Carillo. (PIO/Ruel Rosello)

In a video conference today, the mayor tasked Atty. Carillo, head of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CCDRRMC), to oversee the apportioning of the cash assistance to the province.

This way, the most heavily affected areas would really be the ones that would get a portion of the aid.

In a report from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs) intensity 7 was felt over Bucloc and Manabo, Abra; intensity 6 was felt in Vigan City, Sinait, Bantay, San Esteban, Ilocos Sur; Laoac, Pangasinan; and Baguio City.

Intensity 5 was felt over Magsingal and San Juan, Ilocos Sur; Alaminos City and Labrador, Pangasinan; Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya; Mexico, Pampanga; Concepcion and Tarlac City, Tarlac; City of Manila; and Malabon City.

Meanwhile, intensity 4 was felt in Marikina City; Quezon City; Pasig City; Valenzuela City; City of Tabuk, Kalinga; Bautista and Malasiqui, Pangasinan; Bayombong and Diadi, Nueva Vizcaya; Guiguinto, Obando and San Rafael, Bulacan; and San Mateo, Rizal.

Earthquake. Authorities in La Trinidad, Benguet attempt to recover a construction worker reported killed in the magnitude 7 earthquake that hit Luzon on July 27, 2022. (La Trinidad PNP handout published by ABS-CBN)

The mayor, who is president of the League of Cities of the Philippines, said he will visit next week a few of the cities affected by the earthquake.

“I will be visiting them starting next week or on Tuesday or the end of the week para ma-identify nato kung unsa pay tabang atong mahatag,” he said.

Mayor Rama had already instructed the LCP secretariat to urge the 146-member cities to aid members affected by the earthquake.

Mayor Mike Rama. (PIO/File)

In response to the mayor’s instruction, Atty. Carillo convened the CCDDRMC this afternoon to discuss the financial assistance. The body approved the P50-million allocation, which should still be approved by the City Council.

Carillo said they will request for the City Council to possibly hold a special session this week to tackle the proposal.

“The mayor wanted to extend this assistance to the affected areas the soonest possible time. Intensity 7 and 6 mao ni areas atong priority,” Carillo said.

He said he plans to leave for Abra along with CCDRRM Office Head Raquel Arce and her deputy Harold Alcontin next week to comply with the mayor’s instruction to check the province.

Per latest information the CCDRRMC received, 14 fatalities and an estimated P1.2 billion in damage to infrastructure have been recorded as caused by the earthquake, which struck and affected Regions 1,2,3, Cordillera Autonomous Region, and the National Capital Region. #

Atty. Gerry Carillo leads a meeting with various department heads to tackle the P50-million financial assistance intended for the Province of Abra, which was hit by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake last July 27. (PIO/Ruel Rosello)