President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday vowed to assist residents in rebuilding their homes after a magnitude 7 earthquake struck Abra and its nearby provinces.

“Tutulong kami, siyempre. The immediate — lalo na sa lindol, ang immediate concern is shelter kasi nga kahit na titingnan mo ‘yung bahay mukhang matibay, hindi mo malalaman hanggang nainspeksyon nang mabuti ‘yun (We will be helping, for sure. The immediate concern during earthquakes is shelter because if you look at those houses they appear to be sturdy, you wouldn’t know until you conduct a thorough inspection),” Marcos said when asked by reporters about government support during a press briefing in Malacañang.

For the time being, he said authorities would not allow people to return to their homes, considering the dangers posed by the aftershocks that could last for days.

Authorities must explain to the people the need to conduct thorough inspections of houses and buildings before they are permitted to return to their dwelling places, Marcos pointed out.

“In the meantime, it is up to us, the government, to provide shelter for them to be able to feed them while they are in the shelters. And to inspect their residences, their places of business para makita natin kung puwede na silang bumalik, puwedeng magtrabaho ulit, puwede na bumalik sa kanilang mga bahay (and make sure they can now go back and work again as well as return to their homes),” he said.

Asked if he would issue a directive to LGUs for regular inspection of residential houses in their areas, the President said there’s no need to issue such an order.

There is an existing procedure for regular assessment of residential houses and other structures, he said, adding that LGUs usually struggle to conduct inspections because of lack of qualified engineers or personnel.

“I think the better way is to educate people (not to build houses on hazardous zones and make sure that they use standard materials to make sure their houses are built strong enough to withstand earthquakes and typhoons ) na huwag niyong — huwag kayong magtatayo ng bahay sa delikadong lugar, make sure that maayos ‘yung mga materyales na ginagamit at maging matibay para ‘pag sakali mang magka-lindol o magka-bagyo ay hindi naman kayo mabiktima (not to build houses on hazardous zones and make sure that they use standard materials to make sure their houses are built strong enough to withstand earthquakes and typhoons),” Marcos pointed out.

“So yes, it’s something that we would like to be able to do. We have yet to have the capability to do it extensively. Sa urban areas nagagawa, pero sa rural areas hindi gaano (In urban areas these are being done but in rural areas it’s not quite the same),” he said.

Despite the devastation brought by the quake, Marcos said there is no need to declare a state of national calamity at this time, as the tremor only affected the Ilocos Region and the Cordillera Administrative Region.

A state of national calamity is declared automatically if a disaster hits three regions.

Aside from Abra, the tremor affected the provinces of Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, La Union and Benguet. (PNA)