Arroyo recommends ‘state of calamity’ in quake-hit Pampanga
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Tue, 23 Apr 2019 05:09:53 +0000
SPEAKER Gloria Macapagal Arroyo recommended that a state of calamity be declared in Pampanga, following the magnitude 6.1 earthquake that hit parts of Luzon on Monday afternoon.
“The priority is to complete the rescue that is happening and then we have to take care of those who have been rescued, we have to attend to their medical needs. Those who have died, we have to attend to their funeral requirements. Those whose houses were destroyed and who had to flee the earthquake, they have to be fed. So we are in the rescue and relief stage right now,” Arroyo told reporters on the sidelines of the Boao Forum in Taguig City on Tuesday.
The Pampanga lawmaker headed to her province on Monday evening to check on those who were affected by the earthquake, following reports of casualties in the province.
She first headed to Porac town to visit the collapsed Chuzon supermarket and made rounds in some hospitals, including the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital in San Fernando City, to check the condition of the affected victims.
Pineda said that the death toll, which was initially reported at eight, could rise, as authorities were still verifying the situation of victims in Porac and Lubao.
Angie Blanco of the Provincial Disaster Rescue and Relief Management Office (PDRRMO) said that more than 20 people were reported injured and were taken to the Porac Hospital as of Monday evening. Rescue operations are ongoing as of Tuesday noon.
“I’m just really very sad about this and I’m grateful that everybody is doing everything to save lives and helping the injured and as much as possible, to the extent we can, restore normalcy as soon as possible,” Arroyo said.
Meanwhile, Aangat Tayo Party-list Rep. Neil Abayon said that he would inquire with authorities from the Bases Conversion Development Authority, the Clark Development Corporation, and the airport management to ascertain the civil engineering history of every structure damaged at the Clark International Airport following the quake.
The House of Representatives also suspended work today to allow officials to check the integrity of the building in Batasan, Quezon City.
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