President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is slated to visit areas in Mindanao heavily impacted by a powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake, Malacañang confirmed on Tuesday.
Communications Undersecretary and Press Officer Claire Castro verified that the Chief Executive’s solidarity and inspection trip is already on the agenda, though specific dates and exact locales have yet to be disclosed.
“Mayroon po siyang balak na pumunta, naka-schedule po ’yan,” Castro told reporters during a press briefing.
Castro emphasized that the administration’s immediate focus is securing adequate aid for displaced residents who lost their residences to the widespread destruction.
“’Yan po ang inuna ng Pangulo na ang mga kababayan natin na walang tirahan ay maaari muna silang manatili sa evacuation center at sa mga provided tents na sinasabi ng DSWD,” she explained.
In line with this directive, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has been actively managing temporary shelters and distributing emergency tents for the affected families.
Earlier on Tuesday, President Marcos called a high-level situation briefing to scale up the government’s disaster response. The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) noted that Cabinet officials were immediately deployed to Mindanao under the President’s orders to execute a well-coordinated, whole-of-government relief operation.
The briefing covered comprehensive updates on ongoing rescue missions, initial infrastructure damage assessments, and the pressing necessities of survivors as recovery efforts gain momentum.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the tremor, which struck on Monday morning, stands as the most powerful earthquake recorded in the country this year.