A senator on Monday urged government officials and the public to set aside political differences and concentrate on relief and rehabilitation efforts in Mindanao following the powerful earthquake that struck the region.
“Mindanao is now. They need the attention now,” Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit near General Santos City on Monday morning, damaging buildings, causing power outages, and leaving more than 10 people dead, based on reports from disaster authorities.
At a press conference, he said the government’s immediate priority should be to assist affected families, support rescue operations, and help communities recover from the quake.
“Let’s focus on Mindanao and on the relief and rehabilitation, especially mayroong lives that are at stake now,” he said.
He noted that members of his bloc have started coordinating assistance and contacting people on the ground to determine the needs of affected communities.
He also called for cooperation across sectors, stressing that humanitarian response must come before politics.
“We have to put faith into action, meaning there’s no help that is too small or too big,” he emphasized.
While emphasizing the urgency of immediate relief work, the solon also renewed his push for the proposed Emergency Response Department Act, a measure he said he has filed repeatedly from the 16th Congress to the current 20th Congress.
The bill seeks to create a centralized agency focused on disaster preparedness, emergency response, and rehabilitation. Cayetano said a permanent department would allow faster coordination among government agencies and strengthen the country’s capacity to respond to major calamities.
“Wala tayong dapat conflict kung may kailangan ang ating bansa. Dapat tanggalin ang politika,” he said.