President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed Monday that the national government would stand by Mindanao as a powerful earthquake battered the region, declaring in a public statement that the state’s full machinery had been activated for the affected provinces.
“The national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind,” the President said, adding that he was in constant communication with regional offices and local chief executives on the ground.
The assurance anchored a statement from the Office of the President that ordered all relevant agencies to act at once. Marcos said the Office of Civil Defense and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council had taken over coordination across affected areas, with the Department of Social Welfare and Development told to pre-position relief goods and ready evacuation centers. The Department of Public Works and Highways, he said, was on standby to assess damage to roads, bridges, and critical infrastructure and to clear routes for rescue and relief.
The President also suspended classes at all levels across affected parts of Mindanao until further notice, stressing that children’s safety came first and that the Department of Education would coordinate with local governments. The order fell on the opening day of the school year in many areas.
His most direct appeal went to those nearest the shore. “To our kababayans in the affected provinces, please heed the tsunami warning. Move to higher ground now. Do not wait. Your life is more important than anything left behind,” Marcos said.
The statement followed the magnitude 7.8 quake that struck off Sarangani at 7:37 a.m., which toppled buildings in General Santos City and triggered tsunami warnings across coastal Mindanao that reached as far as Indonesia and Japan. The Office of the President said updates would follow as the situation develops.
