Earthquake-damaged building in Abra province (Photo courtesy of Abra Rep. Ching Bernos)
MANILA – The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) on Friday said it has activated its local shelter cluster teams to provide assistance to families affected by the magnitude 7 earthquake that jolted Abra and other parts of Luzon.
DHSUD shelter cluster personnel in Ilocos, Cagayan, and Cordillera regions have been mobilized in compliance with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s directive "to fast-track government assistance for the severely-hit residents."
Assistant Secretary Melissa Aradanas, DHSUD-Officer-in-Charge, issued a department order mandating the regional offices to immediately identify the shelter needs of victims.
“Upon instruction of the National Risk Reduction Reduction and Management Council to activate its shelter cluster, we promptly alerted our concerned regional offices to put into motion the regional clusters so that we can monitor and facilitate emergency response and humanitarian assistance to those in need,” Aradanas told the reporters in a text message.
Based on the DHSUD's initial assessment Thursday, 4,969 families or 20,091 individuals from the Ilocos and Cordillera regions were reported to have been affected by the July 27 earthquake.
A total of 2,312 families or 8,314 individuals are in 31 evacuation centers while 413 families are staying with relatives or friends in Ilocos Sur, La Union, Abra, and Mountain Province.
The damaged houses have reached 358 while nine were completely destroyed in the provinces of Ilocos Norte, La Union, Pangasinan, Abra, and in Mountain Province.
DHSUD said the International Organization for Migration (IOM) will send 3,000 shelter-grade tarpaulins for the evacuees, in coordination with the US Embassy in Manila and the US Agency for International Development.
“We are mobilizing our partners as well as all members of the shelter clusters to harmonize our efforts and facilitate faster response,” Aradanas said.
DHSUD assured constant monitoring on the extent of damage and support for the victims.
Shelter materials
"The damage caused this week by the earthquake is heartbreaking. The US is assisting the Philippine government and our Filipino (friends, partners, and allies)," US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson said in a statement Friday. "We hope that these shelter-grade tarps will provide relief to affected communities in North Luzon."
The powerful quake, which also jolted Metro Manila, set off landslides and damaged structures in the Ilocos and Cordillera regions.
Overall, 79,260 individuals have so far been reported affected by the quake, based on the latest report by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
Besides the US, several foreign governments expressed sympathies to the victims of the quake, including Australia, Japan, China, France, Austria, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Russia, and the European Union.
Labor concerns
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns (BWSC) of the Department of Labor and Employment is conducting profiling of affected workers in the Ilocos Region and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
Ma. Karina Perida-Trayvilla, BWSC Director, said during Friday’s “Laging Handa” public briefing that possible beneficiaries will be placed under theTulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program.
“Region I, based on our information, is about to start engaging in work using TUPAD,” she said. “Cordillera will submit a project proposal to the central office so that we can implement our emergency employment program.”
Under the TUPAD program for the informal sector, beneficiaries are provided with community work for at least 10 days to a maximum of 30 days and paid the minimum wage. (With a report from Ferdinand Patinio/PNA)
