Senate President Pro Tempore and acting Senate President Win Gatchalian led a delegation of the chamber’s new majority bloc to earthquake-stricken communities in General Santos City and Sarangani province on Thursday to personally distribute millions in food and cash assistance.
Accompanied by Senators Erwin Tulfo, JV Ejercito, and Migz Zubiri, the acting Senate chief turned over ₱2.5 million in cash and sacks of rice to displaced families across General Santos and seven heavily hit towns in Sarangani.
“Ang pangunahing layunin natin ngayon ay maihatid agad ang kinakailangang tulong sa mga apektadong komunidad,” Gatchalian said in a statement.
“Nandito kami hindi lamang upang magdala ng ajuda kundi upang personal na alamin ang pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayan at matulungan silang makabangon,” he added.
The high-level legislative visit aimed to personally assess the infrastructure damage caused by a powerful magnitude 7.8 offshore earthquake that struck Mindanao on Monday morning.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the tremor hit southwest of Maasim, Sarangani, prompting temporary tsunami warnings along coastal areas.
The relief distribution follows a collective pledge by the 12-member Senate majority bloc to forfeit a month’s worth of their salaries to fund disaster response efforts.
“As a personal contribution to the relief effort, members of the Senate New Majority are prepared to donate one month of our salary to help support affected communities,” the bloc announced in an earlier joint statement.
The majority lawmakers also urged members of the Senate minority bloc to temporarily shelve ongoing political tensions within the chamber—which sparked following a recent leadership coup—to back a unified disaster response.
Moving forward, the delegation noted that ongoing Senate assistance will focus on helping local government units restore normal public operations and rehabilitate vital infrastructure.
“The Senate majority bloc stands in solid commitment to ensure that national resources are mobilized swiftly to restore normalcy, repair vital infrastructure, and help every affected family recover as soon as possible,” Gatchalian said.