Aftershocks hit Visayas

MANILA, Philippines - Strong aftershocks have been recorded in Central Visayas over two weeks after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Bohol, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said yesterday.

A 5.2 magnitude aftershock was recorded at around 10 p.m. Friday, with its epicenter traced some 34 kilometers northeast of Tagbilaran City.

It was felt at Intensity 5 in Talibon, Bohol; Mandaue City and Cebu City.

The quake was also felt at Intensity 4 in Tagbilaran City and San Isidro in Bohol; Intensity 3 in Dumaguete City and Intensity 1 in Hibok-Hibok.

Two hours later, a 4.3 magnitude aftershock shook Bohol province.

The aftershock, which occurred at 12:08 a.m. yesterday, was located 26 kilometers northeast of Tagbilaran City.

It was felt at Intensity 5 in Mandaue City; Intensity 2 in Cebu City and Intensity 1 in Lapu-Lapu City, all in Cebu province.

Phivolcs describes an Intensity 5 quake as “strong.”

Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development is using its cash-for-work (CFW) program to help the residents of Loon, Bohol rebuild their lives, DSWD Secretary Corazon Soliman said yesterday.

The municipality of Loon was among the towns most severely affected by the Oct. 15 quake.

Soliman said the CFW is a temporary intervention for families during a disaster. It enables the heads of households to earn a living by participating in community work such as clearing roads and canals of debris, helping set up community kitchen and maintaining cleanliness in evacuation centers.

The DSWD has released P94,000 for the project.

A total of 381 heads of families from Barangays Son-ong, Cabadug, Bas Daku, Cuasi and Tang-nan in Loon helped install the tents given by the DSWD for the quake victims.

Those who set up the tents were given P200 per day.

“By giving affected families a source of income while recovering from the impact of the disaster, they regain dignity and self-esteem,” Soliman said.

MVP Group launches fund-raising campaign

The MVP Group, together with the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation, has launched a fund-raising campaign to help in the recovery of Bohol, Cebu and Zamboanga.

The campaign, dubbed as Brick by Brick, gathers donations from Filipinos and donors around the globe to help respond to the recent disasters that have devastated the Philippines, such as the 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Bohol and Cebu and the hostilities in Zamboanga.

Group head Manuel V. Pangilinan said the campaign is an innovative way to raise funds to help rebuild the cities.

“It is our hope that companies and foundations from every sector of the country and the world will join this fund-raising effort,” Pangilinan said.

Donations have reached around P7.6 million following the launch on Oct. 25.

Companies in the MVP Group involved in the effort are PLDT, Smart, Metro Pacific, First Pacific, Manila Electric Co., Philex Mining Corp., Maynilad, Metro Pacific Tollways Group, Makati Medical Center and TV5.

To jumpstart the campaign, PLDT employees donated P1.5 million while PLDT Smart Foundation and One Meralco Foundation each pledged P1 million. The First Pacific Group in Hong Kong also contributed $20,000.

Metro Pacific Foundation allocated P1 million while the Metro Pacific Tollways Group will give P500,000. Philex has donated P300,000.

The campaign, implemented through the www.pdrf.org website, will end on Dec. 5.

The Land Bank of the Philippines also donated P1 million and agreed to accept dollar and peso donations for the campaign.

All funds raised will be turned over to various groups such as Gawad Kalinga, Caritas and local government units.

Other partners in the campaign include Western Union, the Commission for Overseas Filipinos, National Federation of Filipino-American Associations and the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce in New York. – With Iris Gonzales