Earthquake in the Philippines : more than 150 dead, Caritas in the forefront of relief efforts
Manila (
AsiaNews) - " We have launched an appeal for assistance [ to the victims ]
among our Caritas partners , but it must be done immediately. Among immediate
needs are food items in for people in evacuation centers " . This is what Fr
. Edwin A. Gariguez
, the National Secretariat for Justice and Peace Commission of the Bishops'
Conference of the Philippines ( CBCP - Nassa ), in the forefront of the relief
to the earthquake victims tells AsiaNews. On
15 October, a powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.2 hit the center of the
Philippine archipelago , killing 144 people so far , unofficial estimates speak
more than 158 dead and , even today, many are still missing. Experts
from the U.S. Geological Survey explained that the earthquake struck below the
island of Bohol (Central Visayas ) , a region populated and one of the most
popular tourist destinations of the country. It
has released energy equal to " 32 atomic bombs dropped in Hiroshima"
and was also felt in Mindanao .
Fr. Edwin
, Nassa executive secretary and responsible for the coordination of relief
operations at the Catholic institution , sent a first report to AsiaNews, from
which the full extent the severity of the damage caused by the earthquake can
be seen. In
addition to the main quake, within hours there were 725 aftershocks in Cebu ,
Negros Orental , Davao , Cotabato and north of Mindanao. Meanwhile,
the governorship of Bohol has declared a state of calamity.
To
date, 23 are still missing, while the number of injured is around 300. The
people affected by the earthquake are more than three million , spread among 39
cities and municipalities . 5,992
families are housed in 51 refugee centers , and a first estimate of damage to
infrastructure , hospitals , houses and sites of archaeological interest amount
to a total of 75.2 million pesos ( 1.8 million dollars).
Among
the sites most affected the centuries-old Catholic churches in the region ,
testimony of the Spanish colonial past and of great historical and
architectural value . There
are at least ten places of worship that have suffered serious damage in Cebu
and Bohol, dating from the sixteenth century. These
include the bell tower of limestone of the oldest church in the Philippines,
the Minor Basilica of the Holy Child of Cebu.
In
many areas there are power outages and the supply of drinking water has been suspended,
particularly in Bohol . Food
supplies are dwindling and many markets are closed for lack of products. The
Caritas workers also warn of the urgent need for psychologists and experts in
trauma, to heal the wounds (even psychological ) inflicted by the earthquake on
the population. The
government has allocated the army and police to help in the rescue operations
and the immediate action pending long-term programs for the restoration of normal
activities. To
date, Manila has not yet appealed to the international community for foreign
aid , wanting to deal with the disaster on its own .
Nassa-
Caritas Philippines are coordinating the emergency response in collaboration
with the leaders of the two dioceses most affected by the earthquake, Talibon and
Bohol . So
far they have used local funds where available, but they are no longer
sufficient . For
this Nassa has already allocated 400 thousand pesos , while various dioceses in
the country - including the Archdiocese of Manila - are ready to intervene with
a contribution to the relief assistance. ( DS )
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