Duterte orders 24/7 assistance to Mindanao earthquake victims

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered concerned government agencies to extend round-the-clock assistance to earthquake victims in Mindanao, Malacañang said Monday.

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake jolted Davao del Sur and nearby areas Sunday afternoon.

In a statement, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles said “the national government has already mobilized all frontline disaster response and humanitarian assistance units to make sure that we can immediately provide help for all of the victims.”

“President Duterte is closely monitoring the progress of ongoing operations to thoroughly evaluate the damage of the quake and all ground units are ordered to work round-the-clock to make sure that everyone is safe and are ready for possible aftershocks,” Nograles said.

“The national government, together with our local disaster risk reduction management offices, are definitely on top of the situation on this latest quake that hit Davao del Sur,” he added.

He assured the public that the government would “definitely provide all the assistance needed for the family of the lone fatality.”

Medical assistance, he added, “is also being provided for the 37 people who are initially listed as injured as a result of the powerful quake.”

“Security forces have been deployed to ensure that all those who are in evacuation centers are safe and the properties that they have left behind are adequately protected,” he said.

The 6.9 magnitude quake that jolted Padada town in Davao del Sur and was felt in various areas in Mindanao, was the fourth powerful quake that hit the region this year.

“These pattern of unfortunate events have prompted our local disaster reduction and response units to create community-based frontline emergency responders,” Nograles said.

“Each sitio, or each barangay nationwide, should have well-trained emergency responders and all communities should be taught on how to properly respond during all type of disasters and emergencies,” he added.

“Real or imagined,” he said the public “should prepare for the worst that may happen in the future. It is always better to be safe than sorry.”

He urged everyone to pray for the protection and  immediate recovery of  all injured victims.

GSG