MANILA — Key Cabinet officials immediately mobilized government resources in response to the series of strong earthquakes that struck the Davao Region on Friday, leading to rapid deployment of relief items, road-clearing operations, and emergency shelter assistance.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon, Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara, and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian to act swiftly, coordinate closely, and restore normalcy as soon as possible.

Dizon said the DPWH immediately began road-clearing operations in Davao Oriental, the quake’s epicenter, as well as in Davao de Oro and Davao del Norte.

“Kagabi pa lang tinawagan po kami ni Pangulong Marcos para utusan kami to come here today to number one, provide the most immediate relief necessary para sa mga kababayan nating tinamaan, lalo na sa Davao Oriental, yung epicenter ng lindol,” Dizon said in a Saturday press conference in Davao City with Angara, Gatchalian, and Mindanao Development Authority Secretary Leo Tereso Magno.

He reported that as of Saturday, national highways are now fully passable, while clearing and assessment continue on provincial and municipal roads affected by landslides.

“As of today (Saturday) completely passable na po ‘yung ating national highways… At most of them are already passable except ‘yung mga ibang roads natin sa mga bundok na tinamaan ng mga medyo grabe ang landslide,” he added.

Dizon noted that while minor cracks were observed in some bridges and road structures, no major structural damagehas been reported so far.

“Tuloy-tuloy ‘yan and mabilis natin papagawa ‘yan kasi sabi nga ni Pangulo, we have to move fast to bring normalcy dun sa situation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Gatchalian assured that the DSWD is fully equipped to assist all affected families, with 100,000 family food packs already pre-positioned in the Davao Region before the earthquake.

“Before the earthquake, we had 100,000 family food packs pre-positioned in the Davao Region alone. These are ready for immediate distribution,” Gatchalian said.

He added that DSWD repacking centers in Manila and Cebu continue to produce around 25,000 food packs per day, while additional stockpiles from nearby regions such as Caraga are on standby.

The DSWD is also coordinating with the Philippine Red Cross and local government units to set up temporary shelters for displaced families and to deploy large tents for hospitals with structural issues.

Gatchalian said financial assistance for families whose homes sustained damage is being prepared, assuring that the agency can sustain operations despite ongoing relief efforts in other disaster-hit areas.

“Sa pagdating sa pagkain, alinsunod sa utos ng Pangulo, walang pamilyang apektado ang magugutom. Sisiguraduhin niya ‘yun,” he said.

Angara, for his part, said the DepEd has started assessing school infrastructure damage and will immediately release funds for minor repairs to affected regional and division offices.

“For major repairs, we will coordinate with Secretary Vince (Dizon) and DPWH. Kung dati, medyo mahaba ‘yung period between, ngayon binilisan na po namin ‘yung coordination,” Angara said.

He added that DepEd and DPWH will conduct ground safety assessments on all damaged school sites before rebuilding to ensure the safety of learners and teachers.

The DepEd is also coordinating with the DSWD to prepare aid for affected teachers and students.