President Marcos says tents needed in earthquake-hit areas

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said Wednesday that he has been monitoring the situation in some Northern Luzon provinces following the magnitude-6.4 quake that hit Abra on Tuesday evening.

In an interview with reporters, Marcos said the affected families are asking for tents as they are afraid to go back to their residences due to possible aftershocks.

Marcos also said the power supply in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, and some parts of Abra has been restored. 

"The epicenter was lower down. Hindi kagaya noong nasa Abra. Pero doon na sa amin sa Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte (It's not like in Abra. But in Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte.) But in our place, schools are closed for the day hangga’t matiyak na lahat ng mga school building ay safe para sa mga bata (until the children's safety is assured.) So, that was the first concern," Marcos said.

"The other concern right now is to make sure that power [is restored]. ‘Yung Ilocos Norte, the power is back. Ilocos Sur, the power has come back. I’m waiting for the report from Abra. I think parts, the last I heard, the last parts of the – of Abra province power has already been restored," he added.

"So we have sent… Ang hinihingi ng karamihan ay tents. And the reason why is ayaw nilang --- natakot silang bumalik sa bahay nila baka mag-aftershock tapos mahina ‘yung bahay, baka masaktan sila," Marcos said.

(Most of the affected people are asking for tents, because they are afraid to go back to their houses for fear of possible aftershocks.)

Marcos did not mention if he would visit the areas affected by the earthquake.

In a separate tweet, Marcos said he remains in coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways for the inspection of roads and buildings, the Department of Social Welfare and Development for relief, the Department of Energy for outages, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government for monitoring.

At 10:59 p.m. on Tuesday, a magnitude-6.4 quake jolted Lagayan, Abra, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said.

Based on the agency's earthquake bulletin, the epicenter of the quake was seven kilometers northwest of Lagayan town. The tectonic earthquake also had a depth of 11 kilometers.

At least 10 people were reported injured following the quake, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office. —LBG, GMA News