VP Duterte meets with gov't agencies, calls for calm after Mindanao quake

Vice President Sara Duterte, who is now the government caretaker while President Marcos is on an official visit to the United States, will hold meetings with concerned government agencies and task force in the aftermath of the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that jolted parts of Mindanao on Friday, Nov. 17.

Vice President Sara Duterte holds an online meeting with Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin after the strong earthquake that struck a large part of Mindanao. (Inday Sara Duterte/Facebook)

In a video message posted on Facebook, the official said she already got the post-earthquake report from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and met with Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.

“Nakuha na po natin ang report ng Office of Civil Defense at tayo ay bahagi ng meeting para sa NDRRMC (National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council) response cluster (We already received the report from the Office of Civil Defense and we are part of the meeting for the NDRRMC response cluster),” she stated.

“Nagawa din natin ngayong gabi ang meeting kasama ang ating Executive Secretary Bersamin para sa pagreview ng mga pagresponde ng iba't-ibang ahensiya ng gobyerno (We also met tonight with Secretary Bersamin to review how different government agencies would respond),” she added.

Duterte, who said she also experienced a strong quake when she was Davao City mayor and acknowledged the trauma this brings, asked local disaster councils of the affected areas to have their reports ready.

She stressed that local government should have already started their disaster response, especially in reviving electricity in the affected areas.

Calls for calm, unity

While the Vice President directed local governments to respond swiftly, she also addressed the public in the video and asked them to remain calm.

“Kinakailangan natin maging kalmado, at unahin ang pagcheck ng ating mga bahay at gusali para paghanda sa aftershocks (We need to be calm, and prioritize checking our houses and building to prepare for aftershocks),” she stressed.

Citing the importance of earthquake drills and other preparations for disasters, she asked the public to “remain calm, steadfast, and united.”

Two deaths have already been reported due to the quake when a wall collapsed on the shanty shared by a couple in Barangay Sinawal, General Santos City.

Initially, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) registered the earthquake at 7.2 magnitude before it revised the data into 6.8 magnitude.

Damages to the terminal building of General Santos Airport, Alberto Olarte Sr. National High School in Sarangani, and two malls in Koronadal and General Santos City have been reported so far.

A construction crane in Davao City with a block of cement also collapsed, while Digos City suffers from power outage.

In a statement from Malacañang, it said that Marcos, who’s in the United States for the 30th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting and related activities, already instructed government agencies to “promptly take action.”