SENATOR Imee Marcos said Wednesday, July 27, 2022, that various heritage tourist sites and main roads in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur were damaged following the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that hit the province of Abra.
"Mga antique bell towers ng Bantay [Ilocos Sur] at Laoag nasira, pati Sarrat (at iba pa). Heritage houses sira, iba natumba," Marcos, who was a former governor of Ilocos Norte, said in a text message to reporters.
"Ganun din [infrastructure] roads [including] Kennon, Paraiso Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte- Apayao, pati electrical transformers, lines, etc. kaya may brown out na," she added.
Marcos said several roads in Kalinga and Cagayan were also damaged.
She said she is currently in close coordination with his son, Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc, as well as other local government officials in the area regarding preventive evacuation.
Marcos said she is expecting the declaration of a state of calamity in the earthquake-affected areas.
She asked the Philippine National Police and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to monitor any possible aftershocks, storm surges or tsunami.
"Kung kinakailangan, palikasin na ang mga nakatira malapit sa mga karagatan, ang mga nakatira sa mga lugar na madalas magkaroon ng landslide tulad sa mga bulubunduking lugar na posibleng gumuho dahil sa lindol at mga aftershock," Marcos said.
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Director Renato Solidum said earlier that there is no expected tsunami following the jolt, noting that it was inland and it will not cause any life threatening movement in the seafloor.
Meanwhile, in a radio interview, Benguet Governor Melchor Diclas confirmed the death of a worker in a construction site in La Trinidad due to fallen debris.
He said they are working on the immediate clearing of the affected farm-to-market roads.
“Maraming nasira na mga farm-to-market roads and tsini-check ko pa, wala pang reported naman na national roads. So far, so good naman,” said Diclas.
“’Yung nasa national roads may mga ganun pero puwedeng daanan. May mga bato nahulog. May mga iba sarado so kailangan buksan kaagad kasi mga vegetables natin yan. Masisira kapag hindi nadeliver so kailangan buksan yung mga farm-to-market roads,” he added.
He said classes and work in government offices have already been suspended.
He said evacuation in risk-prone areas, as well as inspection of possible damage to buildings and infrastructure is ongoing.
In Abra, the epicenter of the quake, Langangilang police chief Lieutenant Boyd Kiss-ing said five individuals were injured in his area of responsibility.
He said they are also experiencing power outages but all roads remain passable.
“Kani-kanina lang, mga 10:30 am (may aftershock). ‘Yung last na aftershock medyo malakas din,” he said. (SunStar Philippines)