No damage in telecom facilities after Abra quake — DICT

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said Thursday telecommunications facilities in quake-hit areas in Northern Luzon have not sustained damage.

During the Laging Handa briefing, DICT Assistant Secretary Anna Mae Lamentillo said the agency has already finished the inspection of communications facilities in regions affected by the magnitude 7 earthquake.

“Sa Cordillera Region, Region I, Region II, Region III wala pong na-damage na communications facility pati government facility,” Lamentillo said.

(In Cordillera Region, Region I, Region II, and Region III, there are no reported damage in communications and government facilities.)

Nonetheless, the DICT official said the agency deployed VSAT (very small aperture terminal) satellite phones to aid in ensuring reliable communication for rescue operations.

“As of now, restored na po lahat ng ating communication points (all communication points were restored),” Lamentillo said.

She said telecommunications companies such as PLDT-Smart and Globe are also helping in quake-hit areas.

In an advisory, PLDT-Smart said it has put up free calls and free WiFi stations in Northern Luzon —Ilocos Sur, Abra, and Benguet.

Globe also said it deployed free calls, free charging, and free WiFi stations in Bangued, Abra.

The quake occurred at 8:43 a.m. on Wednesday and was located at 17.64°N, 120.63°E - 003 km N 45° W of Tayum in Abra and had a depth of 17 kilometers, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said.

It was felt in many areas in Luzon, including in Metro Manila.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (NDRRMC) said four people were dead while 131 were injured. A total of 12,945 individuals or 3,456 families in 149 barangays in Cordillera were affected by the earthquake.

It added that 541 families are staying inside 21 evacuation centers, while 567 individuals or 128 families are staying outside evacuation centers.

A total of 868 homes were damaged—857 partially and 11 totally—in Cordillera, according to the NDRRMC.—AOL, GMA News