MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday assured the public that the government is working to help victims of the quake that struck parts of Mindanao this weekend.

The temblor jolted Surigao del Sur late Saturday evening, prompting the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) to issue a tsunami alert in the area, encouraging residents in its coastal towns to immediately evacuate.

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“We continue to provide assistance to the families affected by the impact and aftermath of the magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Mindanao,” Marcos Jr. said in a statement posted on social media.

“In these challenging times, let us unite as a nation,” he said,

“Together, we will overcome the obstacles posed by this disaster and emerge stronger,” he added.

The President noted that the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of the Interior and Local Government are collaborating with local government units “to provide essential aid to those in need.”

The Department of Public Works and Highways, on the other hand, “is diligently assessing the CARAGA region with the support of Office of the Civil Defense and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, he said.

• At least 1 dead, 4 injured after quake jolts eastern Mindanao