Noy sleeps in tent, feels aftershocks

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino spent the night in the quake-damaged town of Loon in Bohol on Wednesday and slept in an Army tent after he toured the areas to see if people could return to their homes.

Aquino said he felt aftershocks at around 3 a.m. yesterday.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) earlier said the magnitude 7.2-quake that struck on Oct. 15 would not recur.

“Although aftershocks would continue for two to three weeks, the full strength of the slipping fault has already been released so there will be no more quake as powerful as before,” Aquino told journalists in an interview in Sagbayan, another quake-hit town.

He said as he saw the devastation brought by the earthquake, he realized the place has much potential and should be better than what it used to be.

“We saw the clean waters, we saw the tourism potential especially here in the province of Bohol,” Aquino said.

“In fact, it seems I had a short vacation last night. The cool air felt like you are sleeping inside an air-conditioned room. I almost asked to tone it down, but of course it was natural air,” he added.

Aquino said he kept two sides of the tent open as he lied down on the folding bed. He said the devastation seemed to remind him of the potentials that Bohol could achieve in the future.

The President said there was no more immediate danger as he expressed belief that people could start rebuilding their lives.

He allayed fears on the possibility of sinkholes in the province, noting the ongoing mapping, which is set to be complete in the last quarter of next year, although it is expected to be finished ahead of schedule.

Malacañang has assured Boholanos that aftershocks would continue but there is no danger of another magnitude 7.2 or stronger quake occurring.

“There is no imminent disaster in view of the aftermath to the 7.2-magnitude earthquake,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Sonny Coloma said, referring to a statement from the Phivolcs and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).

He said experts from the Phivolcs and MGB have ruled out the possibility of a repeat of the killer earthquake.

He said this is why President Aquino decided to stay overnight in Loon to show that the place is now safe to live in and that everything should return to normal.

“Like a good father, the President reminded the residents of Bohol that the sooner they return home, the sooner their lives will return to normalcy,” Coloma said, noting that prolonged stay in evacuation centers would expose the victims to health hazards.

There were 2,700 recorded aftershocks, 68 of which were described as significant.

Coloma said Aquino wanted to remove the anxiety of the residents.

Meanwhile, the three quake-damaged bridges in Bohol that remained impassable to this day will be repaired and are expected to be open not later than Nov. 20.

Coloma said the Department of Public Works and Highways has committed to restore the three bridges - Abatan, Hualong and Tugani - by next month. - With Delon Porcalla