MANILA -- A Lockheed C-130 "Hercules" cargo aircraft laden with relief supplies for quake-battered Surigao City has landed in Butuan City Sunday morning.
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) chair Ricardo Jalad said the transported 10 generator sets, 150 solar lamps, 30,000 pieces of "HEB", 4,090 bars of brown rice, 100 rolls of laminated sacks, 2,000 pieces of mosquito nets, 2,000 plastic mats, and 2,000 blankets.
All items were loaded in Air Force C-130 aircraft in Villamor Air Base which left around 5 a.m. Sunday.
These supplies will be eventually trucked to Surigao City which is estimated to be around 124 kilometers away.
Relief supplies were landed at the Butuan City's Bancasi Airport after the the Surigao Airport was declared closed to all fixed-wing traffic after its runway sustained a 300-meter long crack in wake of the magnitude 6.7 earthquake last Feb. 10.
Quake-affected families in Surigao Del Norte were placed at 1,034 families or around 5, 170 persons.
Social Welfare and Development Secretary Judy Taguiwalo and NDRRMC Executive Director Ricardo Jalad are expected to visit the areas affected by the earthquake.
According to Director Ninoy Castro of the DSWD, responders are still searching the affected areas for wounded or even trapped in rubbles.
Around 1,034 houses were also damaged, with 155 totally damaged and 879 partially damaged.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said road accessibility in Surigao City has improved except for the Anao-aon bridge which remains closed to traffic after it collapsed due to the earthquake.
In Surigao City, DPWH announced that some roads partially damaged by the earthquake are now passable to all types of vehicles.
Minimally damaged but accessible roads in Surigao City include Daang Maharlika Road, Surigao Wharf Road, Surigao-Davao Coastal Road, Magpayang-Mainit Wharf Road and Surigao-San Juan Coastal Road.
The Friendship and the Banahaw bridges, both with minimal damages, are likewise passable to all types of vehicles.
The Kinabutan 1 and Kinabutan 2 bridges, however, are only accessible by light vehicles.
The Malico Bridge, meanwhile, is accessible by a lane that can accommodate light vehicles only.
Meanwhile, the Department of Energy declared a price freeze for liquified petroleum gas and kerosene products, which would last for 15 days.
The department stressed those that will not comply will suffer criminal and administrative charges.
It also urged the public to report "untoward price increases" in the area. (PNA)