President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. returned to Mindanao on Monday to spearhead long-term rehabilitation efforts for communities severely impacted by last week’s magnitude 7.8 earthquake.
The visit marks a transition from immediate emergency relief to structured rebuilding for the region, which suffered widespread damage to homes and public infrastructure.
During his stop in the town of Glan, Sarangani, the President visited displaced families residing at local evacuation centers. He monitored the ongoing distribution of hot meals and critical supplies managed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
A total of 453 affected individuals received financial assistance worth ₱5,000 each through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program. Additionally, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office provided 350 “ChariTimba” relief buckets filled with essential household items.
To strengthen local government response capabilities, President Marcos Jr. handed over a ₱20 million grant from the Socio-Civic Projects Fund alongside a Starlink satellite internet unit to re-establish stable communications across the municipality.
The chief executive also conducted field inspections of repaired infrastructure in the province. Among these was the Sapu Masla Bridge in Malapatan, which safely reopened to traffic on June 10 following rapid structural repairs by engineering crews.
Marcos then visited the Sarangani Provincial Hospital to inspect facility damage and turned over a new patient transport vehicle to improve regional emergency health services.
The trip follows a previous assessment visit to General Santos City last Wednesday, where the President directed national agencies to execute thorough structural evaluations of all public medical facilities and schools to guarantee community safety.