Mabini town placed under state of calamity due to strong aftershocks

The local government of Mabini town in Batangas province on Sunday afternoon declared a state of calamity due to the damage wrought by the two quakes on Saturday.

Mabini Mayor Noel Luistro said the council placed the town under a state of calamity at 1 p.m.

Luistro said the declaration will allow the local government to release its calamity fund and officially request funds from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council for the rehabilitation of damaged infrastructures.

The two magnitudes 6.0 and 5.6 earthquakes that struck Batangas at past 3 p.m. on Saturday were felt at Intensity 7 in Mabini town.

He said the initial estimate of the quakes' damage to infrastructure was around P80 million.

Luistro said added that based on the local disaster risk reduction and management council's estimates, at least 150 houses were damaged by the quakes in the municipality's 34 barangays.

The mayor earlier pleaded for help from the national government as hundreds traumatized residents have opted to stay in the streets due to fears that their houses would collapse as aftershocks continue to hit the town. —ALG, GMA News