Ilocos Norte Donates 500k Cash Assistance for Batanes Quake Victims

During the flag-raising ceremony this Monday, Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc shared that the provincial government of Ilocos Norte will be sending P500,000 cash assistance for the victims of the twin earthquake that hit Batanes on early Saturday morning.

The cash assistance shall benefit almost 3,000 victims of the recent devastating earthquakes that struck the Itbayat Island of Batanes.

Manotoc mentioned that the Governors League will deploy aircraft carrying relief goods for Batanes.

“The Governors League has been coordinating over the weekend and we will be arranging aircraft that will take off from Laoag International Airport to provide assistance in Batanes, since it is the closest airport to Batanes,” the young governor said.

Moreover, he expressed sympathy and hopes for quick recovery of the victims.

“We sympathize and pray for them (Ivatans) and remember that they are part of the Solid North and that Solid North is alive and well,” Manotoc shared.

He also engages the participation and cooperation of the Ilocanos in upholding the “bayanihan” Filipino value by extending help during calamities to neighboring provinces and other parts of the Philippines.

At 4:16 AM, the Ivatans were awakened by the strong shaking that registered at magnitude 5.4 with a depth of 12 kilometer (km) northeast of Itbayat town.

Three hours later, a second one at magnitude 5.9 at about 19 km off Itbayat also occurred.

Several aftershocks were also felt right after.

Because of this twin tremblors, more than 900 families are affected, eight people are dead, one person missing, and serious damages are seen in the ancestral houses, health facilities, schools, and buildings.

Because of this, President Rodrigo Duterte has committed an initial P40-M fund to be used in the rescue and rehabilitation efforts in Batanes. (AMB/MJTAB/PIA 1-Ilocos Norte)