Arroyo visits quake-hit Pampanga
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Tue, 23 Apr 2019 01:21:35 +0000
SPEAKER Gloria Macapagal Arroyo immediately headed to Pampanga straight from the Boao Forum in Manila on Monday night to check on her constituents affected by the earthquake that struck nearby Zambales.
Arroyo headed to Porac town where local government and disaster authorities reported eight fatalities from the collapsed Chuzon supermarket.
“Of course I was very sad, and I’m especially concerned about the supermarket because the four floors collapsed. There were three dead and there might be other people trapped,” the Pampanga lawmaker told reporters in a chance interview on the sidelines of the economic forum in Taguig City.
“I have to go and check…I’d like to go and help so that I can see what else has to be done,” Arroyo added.
She also made rounds in some hospitals of the province, including the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital in San Fernando City, to check on the victims.
Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda said the death toll could rise as the situation in Porac and Lubao were being assessed.
Rescue operations are ongoing as of Tuesday morning.
Arroyo is expected to head back to Manila for the second day of the Boao Forum.
The House of Representatives also suspended work today to allow officials to check the structural integrity of the building in Batasan, Quezon City. GLEE JALEA
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