President Duterte has apologized to the residents of earthquake-hit Leyte province for paying them a visit several days after the powerful quake, but vowed that swift delivery of relief and rehabilitation assistance packages and initiatives.

The President visited Ormoc City last Thursday to asses the extent of the quake damage and commiserate with the affected families.

“Our apologies for our physical absence,” Duterte said during a meeting with Cabinet members and local officials in Ormoc City, a week after a powerful earthquake hit the province.

“You know we are also having a serious problem in Mindanao and in the order of priority of things I think we had to focus first our attention on Marawi,” he added.

The President spent more days in Mindanao since he declared martial law to suppress the threat of terrorism and rebellion.

Duterte, who has visited several military camps to boost the soldiers’ morale, recently said he hopes the conflict in Marawi will be over in 10 to 15 days.

In Ormoc, the President met with the local officials and pledged to facilitate the return of normalcy in the province as soon as possible.

“We are here to help to you,” the President said in Visayan dialect during his visit.

“The government has programs on providing relief assistance. We will implement this,” Duterte assured in a short video message released by the Palace.

Two people were killed and dozens others were injured after a 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit Leyte province last Thursday. Nearly 2,000 families were reportedly displaced by the quake.

The President was supposed to visit Leyte last Monday but instead sent several Cabinet members to meet with the local officials instead.

At the time, the government officials were focused on bringing back power and ensuring potable water to the community. 

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Genalyn Kabiling

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