Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 28) — The magnitude 7 earthquake that hit Northern Luzon caused tens of million pesos in damage to infrastructure, authorities said Thursday.
READ: LOOK: Strong Luzon quake damages historic sites
“As of reporting time, the cost of damage to infrastructure is ₱33.8 million in Ilocos Region alone,” said Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro in a briefing in Abra attended by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Concerned agencies and regional offices are still gathering information on damage to agriculture and other assets, added Alejandro.
Earlier in the day, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council also gave CNN Philippines a ₱33.8-million estimate to infrastructure damage caused by the earthquake.
NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal added that the regions heavily affected by the quake are CAR and Ilocos, but the figure only covers Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, and Metro Manila.
There is no estimate yet on the damage to historical sites in Ilocos Region from Wednesday’s destructive earthquake, which left five dead and dozens of others injured, the NDRRMC added.
“We have received reports that historic or heritage structures also suffered damages from the earthquake. We haven’t proceeded with the valuation of this infrastructure given that there is a different procedure for historic sites,” Timbal explained. “The damage computation does not yet include the historic structures as of this time.”
Historical sites such as the Bantay Bell Tower, the Vigan Cathedral, several heritage houses in Ilocos Sur, and some other churches in Abra and Ilocos Norte were either partially damaged or have partially collapsed following the strong earthquake.
The estimate is expected to rise as the Department of Education said at least 35 schools were damaged by the earthquake, with reconstruction and rehabilitation cost to reach ₱228.5 million. Timbal said the number of schools damaged has since risen to 61.
Meanwhile, 37 cities or municipalities experienced power outage, and at least 19 roads were not passable due to the quake, the NDRRMC’s situational report stated.
Over 4,900 families or 20,000 individuals were affected by the earthquake, Alejandro of the OCD reported.
The quake was recorded 14 kilometers northwest of Tayum, Abra at 8:43 a.m. and was also strongly felt in Metro Manila and other provinces.
As of 8 a.m. on Thursday, the NDRRMC said 798 aftershocks have been recorded, ranging from magnitudes 1.5 to 5.4.
