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Major structures in Ilocos Norte declared 'safe' except for 1

By Leilanie Adriano

July 27, 2022, 8:03 pm

<p><strong>HERITAGE SITE.</strong> The Vigan Cathedral, declared a UNESCO Heritage Site, was damaged by the strong earthquake that jolted Northern Luzon on Wednesday morning. In Ilocos Norte, all major structures and buildings have been declared "safe" with the exception of one. <em>(Photo grabbed from Vigan LGU Facebook page)</em></p>

HERITAGE SITE. The Vigan Cathedral, declared a UNESCO Heritage Site, was damaged by the strong earthquake that jolted Northern Luzon on Wednesday morning. In Ilocos Norte, all major structures and buildings have been declared "safe" with the exception of one. (Photo grabbed from Vigan LGU Facebook page)

LAOAG CITY – All major structures and buildings in Ilocos Norte have been declared "safe" with the exception of one, following a magnitude 7 earthquake that jolted Northern Luzon on Wednesday morning.

Luciano Domingo Jr., head of the Provincial Engineering Office, said an initial damage assessment done by his office showed that structures in the capital Laoag City, and municipalities like Paoay, San Nicolas, and Burgos, among others, were all deemed safe.

Among these structures are the Provincial Capitol, Centennial Arena, Marcos Stadium, and the provincial jail in Laoag; Paoay Church and Malacañang of the North in Paoay; and the Burgos Lighthouse in Burgos.

Also deemed safe are the district hospitals in Dingras, Bangui, Piddig and Vintar, among others.

The only structure found "unsafe" by provincials engineers was the Paoay Ruins.

In Badoc, the roll-on/roll-off port in Barangay Pagsanahan Sur suffered fissures up to 5 meters in length. A colonial building situated in Barangay Alogoog, meanwhile, collapsed.

Debris from the old convent of the St. John the Baptist Minor Basilica were left scattered along Soriano Street and the facade of the 178 Shopping Center in Barangay Garreta also sustained cracks.

Meanwhile, in a public statement, the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) condoled with the people affected by the quake.

“We join our people in this time of great distress caused by the recent catastrophe. It is our great relief however to inform the public that our colleagues stationed at Ilocos Regional Museum Complex (Vigan City, Ilocos Sur), Cagayan Valley Regional Museum (Peñablanca, Cagayan), Batanes Area Museum (Uyugan, Batanes), Cordillera Rice Terraces Site Museum (Kiangan, Ifugao), and Kabayan Burial Caves Site Museum (Kabayan, Benguet) are all safe. They have since been in constant effort to appraise the effects of the earthquake on our regional facilities and sites,” it said in a statement

The NMP said the facilities will be closed to the public for the time being until a complete assessment has been made to ensure that the integrity of these structures remains intact.

Vigan, Ilocos Sur

In neighboring Ilocos Sur, Vigan City Mayor Jose “Bonito"Singson Jr. advised residents and tourists on Wednesday to refrain from returning to their houses and establishments, especially those in ancestral houses and buildings due to aftershocks.

He said the Vigan city government and other concerned agencies are conducting inspection of the extent of damages in the different barangays and the city proper, as several heritage sites and old houses were damaged by the temblor.

The Vigan City government earlier convened an emergency meeting with members of the City Disaster and Risk Reduction and Management Council to ensure quick response from concerned agencies.

Photos and videos of damaged heritage structures and churches in Vigan City have been circulating on social media on Wednesday.

One photo showed a damaged portion of the facade of the Vigan Cathedral, while a viral video showed chunks of bricks chipping off the Bantay Bell Tower. (PNA)

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