President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, Jan. 2, offered assistance to the Japanese government following the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that hit Ishikawa Prefecture on New Year’s Day.
In his X (formerly Twitter) account, Marcos extended his sympathies to those who died amidst the strong quake.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Japan on New Year's Day,” he said.
We are deeply saddened to hear of the magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Japan on New Year's Day.
— Bongbong Marcos (@bongbongmarcos) January 2, 2024
We are in close collaboration with the Japanese government to secure the welfare of our kababayans, who thankfully remain unharmed.
We have made the offer to assist in any way that we…
The President said he is “in close collaboration with the Japanese government to secure the welfare” of Filipinos residing and working in Japan.
He expressed relief that Filipinos were reported safe.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega confirmed in a text message to the media that no Filipino was reported dead or hurt.
De Vega said reports had stated that “there are no Filipino casualty at this time.”
Marcos said he offered help to the Japanese government "in any way that we can."
“In the face of shared climate challenges within the Pacific Ring of Fire, we stand united with Japan and stay ready to provide support from the Philippines,” he added.
According to international news agency Reuters, 30 were killed following the powerful earthquake.
“Authorities in Ishikawa said they had confirmed 30 deaths from the earthquake so far, with half of those fatalities in hard-hit Wajima city near the quake's epicenter,” Reuters said in its published article.