President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. welcomes United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III during a courtesy call at the Presidents Hall in Malacanang Palace on Thursday Feb. 2, 2023. Rey S. Baniquet, PNA
MANILA — The United States stands ready to provide aid to the Philippines after a magnitude 6 earthquake shook Davao de Oro, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday.
“Let me begin by saying that we are very sorry to learn yesterday that there was an earthquake down in Mindanao,” the Pentagon chief told President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during their meeting in Malacañang.
“And I’m relieved to hear from my team that the damage was not significant, at least, that’s what we understand thus far, and of course, we have not heard of significant injuries being reported as well, but we know how these things develop,” he said.
“We stand ready to help in any way that we can. And again I think our AID (Agency for International Development) personnel are in the area, and they stand ready to help to provide humanitarian assistance when and where possible. So please don’t hesitate to reach out if there’s a need,” he continued.
Phivolcs said the magnitude-6 quake struck 12 kilometers northeast of New Bataan, Davao de Oro at a depth of 27 kilometers.
Local disaster officials said there were reports of "minor damage" in some government facilities, including a senior citizen building and daycare center.
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