Vice President Sara Duterte personally visited injured earthquake victims in hospitals across Sarangani Province and General Santos City as the Office of the Vice President (OVP) continues its relief and recovery efforts following the powerful earthquake that recently struck Mindanao.

In a social media post on Monday, June 15, Duterte said she visited patients at Sarangani Provincial Hospital, General Santos Doctors Hospital, and St. Elizabeth Hospital last week to check on their condition and offer support during their recovery.

The Vice President encouraged the injured survivors to remain strong and focus on their healing as communities work to recover from the disaster.

“Hinikayat natin sila na patuloy na magpakatatag at tutukan ang kanilang pagpapagaling (We encouraged them to remain steadfast and focus on their recovery),” Duterte said.

She also expressed gratitude to medical frontliners for their dedication and service, particularly amid the challenges brought by the calamity.

“Ipinaabot din natin ang ating pasasalamat sa lahat ng medical frontliners para sa kanilang 'di-matatawaran na serbisyo, lalo na sa gitna ng kalamidad (We also extended our gratitude to all medical frontliners for their invaluable service, especially during times of calamity),” she added.

In an interview in Davao City on June 12, Duterte outlined the OVP’s ongoing relief operations for communities affected by the earthquake in Sarangani Province and General Santos City.

Duterte said the OVP immediately deployed its resources to assist survivors, affected families, and emergency responders.

“Ang Office of the Vice President, meron tayong response sa Region 12, particularly sa province ng Sarangani at ng siyudad ng General Santos (The Office of the Vice President has mounted a response in Region 12, particularly in the province of Sarangani and the city of General Santos),” she said.

Duterte said the first OVP unit sent to the affected areas was the Kalusugan Truck, which provided hot meals to first responders, volunteers, and survivors affected by the collapse of several structures during the earthquake.

“Ang unang pumunta doon ay ‘yung Kalusugan Truck ng Office of the Vice President. Nag-deliver sila ng mga hot meals para sa mga first responders at sa mga survivors mula sa mga nag-collapse na buildings (The first to arrive was the Kalusugan Truck of the Office of the Vice President. It delivered hot meals for first responders and survivors from the collapsed buildings),” Duterte added.

The OVP Southern Mindanao Satellite Office later distributed rice boxes to earthquake victims as part of the agency’s relief efforts.

Duterte said she personally visited affected communities to extend condolences to families who lost loved ones in the disaster and to check on injured patients receiving medical treatment.

“Ang sumunod na naman na pumunta ay ako. Ang trabaho ko from the Office of the Vice President ay ang pakikiramay sa pamilya ng mga namatay dahil sa lindol at pagbisita sa mga pasyente na nasaktan o na-injure dahil sa lindol. At pinaabot namin yung assistance namin sa mga pamilya at pasyente (I was the next to arrive. My role from the Office of the Vice President was to extend condolences to the families of those who perished in the earthquake and to visit patients who were injured. We also extended assistance to both the families and the patients),” she added.

Duterte noted that assistance and other forms of support have been provided to affected families and injured survivors.

The Vice President reported that the OVP Disaster Operations Center remains operational in the affected areas and has established a warehouse to sort and distribute relief supplies.

The facility is currently processing rice boxes, food packs, and donations coursed through the OVP for distribution to affected communities.

Duterte said relief workers are prioritizing isolated and hard-to-reach areas that remain inaccessible due to earthquake damage.

The OVP’s continuing operations are part of the broader government response to help residents recover and rebuild following the disaster.

As relief efforts continue, Duterte called on Filipinos to remain united, resilient, and prayerful amid the challenges brought by the earthquake.