REHABILITATION. Vehicles negotiate a rocky and muddy road in Abra that was hit by a landslide due to the magnitude 7 earthquake last July 27. The Department of Public Works and Highways in Cordillera said the region needs at least P710 million to rehabilitate the road infrastructure damaged by the tremor. (PNA photo from the FB of DPWH-CAR) BAGUIO CITY - The government needs at least PHP710 million to rehabilitate the road infrastructures damaged by the July 27 earthquake in Abra and the other provinces of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). A report from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-CAR regional director Khadaffi Tanggol estimated an initial amount of PHP710,507,529 to repair the PHP539,740,000 worth of damage in Abra, Baguio City, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Mountain Province. Among the listed damage were tunnel cracks, road slips, collapsed and damaged stone masonry, section loss, damaged paved shoulder, collapsed dike wall, and damage to the slope pr
Road-clearing operations in Kibungan, Benguet (Photo courtesy of Cesar Molitas Facebook) MANILA - The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Saturday that the number of families affected by the magnitude 7 earthquake that rocked Abra and nearby provinces in northern Luzon on July 27 has climbed to 62,024. The data is equivalent to 228,238 persons living in 639 villages in the regions of Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, and Cordillera. The NDRRMC said 46 evacuation centers are sheltering 1,910 families or 6,490 individuals, while the rest are being aided by families and friends. The agency has confirmed four deaths in Cordillera and 300 injured - two in Cagayan Valley and 298 in Cordillera. Still undergoing validation are reports of two deaths in Ilocos and Cagayan Valley and the identities of four bodies retrieved in Abra and 20 injured. Abra province was the hardest hit by the earthquake that happened at 8:43 a.m. The epicenter was recorded in the town of