United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday pledged to provide assistance to the victims of the earthquake in Mindanao.
Austin made the commitment during his courtesy meeting with President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. in Malacañang Palace.
"We are very sorry to learn yesterday that there was an earthquake down in Mindanao and I’m relieved to hear from my team that the damage was not significant, at least, that’s what we understand thus far. Of course, we have not heard of significant injuries being reported as well, but we know how these things develop," he told Marcos.
The US Defense Chief said they would be sending help through the Agency for International Development (AID) which is based in Mindanao.
"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 said.
A magnitude 6 earthquake jolted Mindanao at around 6:44 pm on Wednesday.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology Government (Phivolcs), the earthquake was strongly felt in the province of the Davao Region.
