The task of rebuilding has started.
Officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways have begun to repair roads and bridges damaged by the February 6 killer earthquake in Negros. The road network, they assured President Benigno Aquino III, may take at least 40 days to become passable even as repairs to bridges may take months to complete.
Pres. Aquino, who visited the quake-striken areas in the town of La Libertad and Guihulngan City, extended more than Php 10 million in financial assistance to the Province to employ people through the cash-for-work program. Through this program, earthquake victims will be hired at the rate of 75 percent of the minimum wage to help in the rehabilitation efforts.
Of the total amount, President Aquino gave some Php 5.7 million while the Department of Social Welfare and Development gave Php 3 million to Guihulngan and another Php 1.7 million to La Libertad.
Aside from donations from private individuals, Rep. Josy Limkaichong also acknowledged donations amounting to P175,000 from five of her congressional colleagues and a friend from San Juan City. Limkaichong assured that all donations will be used for the direct benefit of the victims.
As of Saturday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council pegged the death toll at 39 while 66 were missing. Crop damage has been placed at Php 56 million while damage to infrastructure was placed at Php 637 million.
A total of 13 bridges are damaged, three of which were totally destroyed by the earthquake, including the Tinayunan bridge in Guihulngan, the Martilo bridge in La Libertad and the Pangaloan bridge in Dayoyo, Jimalalud.
The President had appealed for calm through the dissemination of proper information to help the public return to their normal lives following Monday’s killer earthquake.
In a meeting of the National Risk Reduction Coordinating Council at the Sibulan-Dumaguete airport Wednesday afternoon, the President noted that the mass evacuations which turned many towns in northern Negros Oriental into virtual ghost towns, would not have happened had the public been informed by the Department of Science and Technology about the science behind earthquakes and tsunamis.
He asked the local government units to run after the rumor mongers and to help the DOST in disseminating information to the public.
DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman revealed that a total of 12,286 families have been affected by the earthquake in northern Negros Oriental.
The power lines in northern Negros Oriental, which were damaged by the earthquake, were also being rebuilt with the help of neighboring electric cooperatives in Negros Island. Linemen were expected to complete the task by Saturday.