Duterte safe in his Davao City home
Published Oct 31, 2019 11:46 am
By Genalyn Kabiling
President Duterte is safe after another powerful earthquake jolted parts of Mindanao, Malacañang said Thursday.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte
(KING RODRIGUEZ / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) The President, who is nursing muscle spasm on his back, was in his home city of Davao when the strong tremor struck the southern region, according to presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo. “Yes to both questions,” Panelo said in a message to reporters when asked if Duterte was in Davao and was safe after the quake. Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go said Duterte, a former Davao City mayor, was at his bathroom when the quake struck the city. The President’s house suffered several cracks but it is habitable, Go assured. Go, himself a Davao City resident, said he was having his morning coffee when his cup shook in his apartment. An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 struck Thursday morning with its epicenter located in Tulunan, Cotabato. The strong quake was reportedly felt in nearby places. The latest tremor struck a few days after a 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit the central Mindanao on Tuesday and left nine people dead and hundreds others injured. Malacañang had earlier appealed to the public to stay calm and vigilant as the government mobilized rescue and relief operations in quake-hit communities. Duterte has ordered a massive relief assistance effort for communities hit by the latest powerful earthquake in Mindanao, Panelo said. Panelo said the government was “on top of the situation,” with the President “directing all agencies and responsible local government units to provide the necessary assistance and immediate relief to those affected.” “The government, through the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the Office of Civil Defense, is currently on top of the situation in light of the 6.5 and 7 magnitude earthquakes that hit areas in Mindanao this morning,” Panelo said. “We ask our citizens to remain calm but vigilant and we urge them to refrain from spreading disinformation that may cause undue alarm, panic, and stress to many people,” he added. The President, meantime, is expected to push through with his visit to the tomb of his parents on Thursday before traveling to Thailand for an annual regional summit on November 1 to 4. Duterte is set to join other Southeast Asian leaders and dialogue partners for the 35th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit and related meetings this week. The proposed code of conduct in the South China is among the topics that may be discussed during the meeting of the ASEAN leaders. (With a report from Mario Casayuran) READ MORE: 3rd strong quake jolts Mindanao, Cracks found in Duterte’s Davao residence; president safe following strong quake
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte(KING RODRIGUEZ / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) The President, who is nursing muscle spasm on his back, was in his home city of Davao when the strong tremor struck the southern region, according to presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo. “Yes to both questions,” Panelo said in a message to reporters when asked if Duterte was in Davao and was safe after the quake. Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go said Duterte, a former Davao City mayor, was at his bathroom when the quake struck the city. The President’s house suffered several cracks but it is habitable, Go assured. Go, himself a Davao City resident, said he was having his morning coffee when his cup shook in his apartment. An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 struck Thursday morning with its epicenter located in Tulunan, Cotabato. The strong quake was reportedly felt in nearby places. The latest tremor struck a few days after a 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit the central Mindanao on Tuesday and left nine people dead and hundreds others injured. Malacañang had earlier appealed to the public to stay calm and vigilant as the government mobilized rescue and relief operations in quake-hit communities. Duterte has ordered a massive relief assistance effort for communities hit by the latest powerful earthquake in Mindanao, Panelo said. Panelo said the government was “on top of the situation,” with the President “directing all agencies and responsible local government units to provide the necessary assistance and immediate relief to those affected.” “The government, through the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the Office of Civil Defense, is currently on top of the situation in light of the 6.5 and 7 magnitude earthquakes that hit areas in Mindanao this morning,” Panelo said. “We ask our citizens to remain calm but vigilant and we urge them to refrain from spreading disinformation that may cause undue alarm, panic, and stress to many people,” he added. The President, meantime, is expected to push through with his visit to the tomb of his parents on Thursday before traveling to Thailand for an annual regional summit on November 1 to 4. Duterte is set to join other Southeast Asian leaders and dialogue partners for the 35th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit and related meetings this week. The proposed code of conduct in the South China is among the topics that may be discussed during the meeting of the ASEAN leaders. (With a report from Mario Casayuran) READ MORE: 3rd strong quake jolts Mindanao, Cracks found in Duterte’s Davao residence; president safe following strong quake