Let us continue praying for the safety of our kababayans who were hit by a series of strong earthquakes in many parts of the country.

Following the 6.9-magnitude earthquake in Cebu Province on 30 September, just 10 days later, on 10 October, a “doublet earthquake” with magnitudes 7.4 and 6.8 shook Manay, Davao Oriental, which was also felt across many parts of Mindanao and some parts of the Visayas. Last Saturday night, a 6.0-magnitude quake also hit Cagwait in neighboring Surigao del Sur.

I personally felt the ground tremble on 30 September while en route to Don Marcelino, Davao Occidental, to attend the turnover of the Super Health Center there.

We likewise inspected the construction of the multi-purpose building in the town. It was heartbreaking to see the immediate impact of the earthquake as we rushed to affected areas to assess the situation and to bring what little immediate help we could.

Earthquakes, typhoons, fires, or whatever calamity there may be, as your senator, I have been to almost every corner of the country to help our fellow Filipinos to the best of my ability. I am as committed in my resolve now that tragedy has struck the Davao region, which is very close to my heart. I am one with the whole country in calling on our kababayans to send whatever help they can. And we should not forget the ones affected by previous calamities, like typhoons “Nando,” “Opong” and “Paolo,” and urge the government to hasten the return to normalcy.

Given that the Philippines is among the most disaster-prone countries in the world, it is imperative that we prioritize measures that can have a lasting impact --- one that Filipinos can truly benefit from. We will push for the passage of Senate Bill 173, which proposes the establishment of the Department of Disaster Resilience, a secretary-level office solely focused on disaster-related concerns.

We will also continue to urge the national government to fully implement the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Law, which I principally authored and co-sponsored, that now mandates the DPWH to build safe and sustainable evacuation centers in every city and municipality.

Once again, I am asking the national government to please give priority to programs that are useful to the Filipino people, instead of wasting the nation’s budget on ghost projects and flood control for the benefit of a few corrupt personalities.

Meanwhile, on 6 October, we personally visited the 272 fire victims of the recent fire incident in Barangay 21-C, Piapi, Quezon Boulevard in Davao City. Present during the event were Davao City Councilors Temujin Ocampo, Bonz Militar and Ragde Ibuyan.

We also went to Banaybanay and Mati City, Davao Oriental, on 11 October to personally check the situation of the displaced earthquake victims. During the visit, we brought some essential supplies for the victims. We also provided cash assistance to some students stranded in Davao Oriental State University, and to some patients evacuated in Davao Oriental Provincial Medical Center. My Malasakit Team distributed further assistance to affected families in Lupon. I was joined by Lupon Vice Mayor Atty. Christian “Chrence” Go during the visit.

Meanwhile, the previous week, the Malasakit Team also aided 200 typhoon “Opong” victims in Masbate City.

We also gave assistance to 200 TESDA scholars who recently graduated from the Governor Generoso Agricultural Vocational Institute of Technology in Davao Oriental.

Additionally, the Malasakit Team also attended the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) Institute of Psychiatric and Behavioral Medicine (IPBM) National Mental Health Week and Valencia City Government Employees’ Union (VCGEU) 17th Founding Anniversary, to which we gave our video message.

As your Mr. Malasakit, I am with you during these trying times, and I will continue to serve the Filipino people with the best of my ability dahil bisyo ko ang magserbisyo at naniniwala ako na ang serbisyo sa tao ay serbisyo sa Diyos!