Marcos to fly to Abra following magnitude 7 quake

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. will fly to Abra following the magnitude 7 quake that struck the province on Wednesday morning.

"He will immediately fly to the area as soon as the all clear is given," Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said at a press briefing.

"He will make an inspection of the disaster areas as soon as he’s given the all clear, as long as it is safe for him to travel to do so," she added.

Cruz-Angeles said the President is presently coordinating with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) as well as with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) following the quake and has ordered an immediate dispatch and relief teams to Abra.

"He also calls on the telcos to provide immediate assistance and free communications to all locations where towers have gone down to keep these communications open," she added.

According to PHIVOLCS, the quake (earlier reported as magnitude 7.3) occurred at 8:43 a.m. and was located at 17.64°N, 120.63°E - 003 km N 45° W of Tayum in Abra. It had a depth of 17 kilometers. 

Unharmed

Meanwhile, Cruz-Angeles also said the President and his family are all unharmed.

Asked whether today's activities of the President will be postponed, Cruz-Angeles said Marcos is focused on disaster relief and response for the quake's victims.

"Ngayon pa lang po dumadating 'yung feedback natin about the extent of damage in certain areas, so the President will put this as his priority, and most likely might cancel certain appointments," she said.

Cruz-Angeles also said the President could order the release of additional funds to assist the victims "if necessary and if we can source the funding."

She said it would depend if Marcos will also visit other areas affected by the earthquake.

"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.

In a tweet, Marcos assured the public that government agencies would exert all efforts to provide the needs of those affected by the quake.

“Sa aking mga kababayan lalo na sa Abra, maging alerto tayo at lumapit sa mga opisyal ng gobyerno kung kailangan niyo ng tulong,” Marcos said.

(To my countrymen especially those in Abra, let us all be alert and seek help from government officials if you need help.)

“Magkaisa tayong bumangon mula sa pagsubok na ito,” he added.

(Let us all unite so we can recover from this.)

In a separate statement, Abra Representative Ching Bernos said the quake "caused damages to many households and establishments" in the province.

"We are monitoring the situation on the ground and gathering information on the extent of the damage to the province," she said. —KG/RSJ, GMA News