Saying her office is “always with the people,” Vice President Sara Duterte has started relief operations for areas affected by the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Abra.
Her spokesman Reynold Munsayac said the Office of the Vice President (OVP) deployed a relief team to the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) in Bagued, Abra.
They brought relief goods composed of bottled water, food packs, medicines, and other supplies needed by earthquake-affected families.
The Abra Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office also received the same items from the OVP.
“Through the modest relief efforts of the Office of the Vice President, we would like to convey a clear and humble message to the good people of Abra - we are always with you. Abra has a special place in our hearts,” Munsayac said in a statement.
READ: OVP taps satellite offices to help quake victims
Abra is the hardest hit among northern Luzon provinces by the strong earthquake last July 27. The province has declared a state of calamity.
Old houses, century-old churches, and other structures in heritage sites were severely damaged in the aftermath of the earthquake.
Duterte’s office also released photos of its relief operations in Abra.
Personnel from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine National Police (PNP), Inday Sara Duterte Ako Movement, and the OVP Disaster Operations Center were seen assisting in the conduct of the relief operations.
The latest report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) showed the number of households affected by last week’s tremor are now pegged at 82,336, or a total of 314,161 individuals.