Water purifiers are now in the earthquake-struck Abra province to ensure the access of the public to clean and safe drinking water, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin ‘Benhur’ Abalos Jr. said Thursday, July 28.
In a situation briefing in Abra, Abalos reported to President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. that the 10 water purifiers were tested and used in Bohol and Samar provinces during typhoon Odette.
The water purifiers were brought by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for the use of the distressed barangays in the tremor hit Abra province.
Abalos said the water purifiers which may be solar-powered and can be attached to the water pumps will be on stand-by and can supply the water needs of a whole barangay.
But in the briefing, President Marcos prefers to have a simple purification system on hand with the government workforce clueless on how long the rehabilitation process will take.
Marcos stressed that the barangays cannot solely rely on their bottled water supply fearing that at the end plastic water bottle litters will be scattered all over their places.
Earlier, Abalos asked the local chief executives (LCEs) and DILG Regional Offices to mobilize disaster response schemes after the July 27 Abra tremor.
He asked the mayors, governors and DILG regional directors to coordinate with the Philippine National Police and the BFP in providing assistance to the affected localities.
“I have instructed concerned DILG Regional Offices to coordinate with the PNP and BFP personnel to immediately provide assistance to affected Filipinos," Abalos said. (Chito A. Chavez)