Aquino arrives in Bohol

President Benigno Aquino III. INQUIRER File Photo

MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno Aquino III has arrived in Tagbilaran City in Bohol, the epicenter of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that killed over 100 in Central Visayas, according to the Philippine Information Agency on Twitter.

Assessing the damage in the affected provinces in the region, Aquino set foot in Bohol along with Secretary Corazon Soliman of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)  and other Cabinet officials.

Included in his Bohol assesment visit itinerary will be a trip to the evacuation center at Carlos P. Garcia sports complex in Tagbilaran and an inter-agency briefing by the local government and Cabinet officials on the effects of the quake.

Upon arriving in Bohol, Aquino directed local officials to check the integrity of heavily damaged structures, said in a report by Radyo Inquirer 990 AM.

Secretary Rogelio Singson of the Department of Public Works and Highways said out of the 20 bridges in Bohol, 18 were impassable due to damage, the report said.

More than 100 were killed amid the destructive earthquake—97 in Bohol, nine from Cebu and one from Siquijor province while 276 were injured, the National Risk Reduction Management Council said.

On Tuesday, Bohol and Cebu were placed under state of calamity.

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