The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Wednesday said that all airports and seaports remain ‘safe and fully operational’ after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake jolted Cebu Tuesday evening.
Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez, in a statement, said that the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) and the Philippine Ports Authority immediately conducted inspections at airports and ports in the Visayas following the major earthquake.
The Office of Civil Defense reported that the death toll as of posting time is 69.
‘So far, no damage has been reported, so our service to passengers continues,’ Lopez said in Filipino.
Lopez added that they will continue to monitor all DOTr facilities.
Aid for quake victims
According to the DOTr, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will deploy BRP Teresa Magbanua, along with doctors, nurses, medics, and basic emergency equipment, to assist residents in affected areas in Cebu.
‘The PCG will also deploy a total of eight search-and-rescue K9 units, as well as water desalinators to help with water supply issues, especially in hospitals and evacuation centers,’ the DOTr said.
The DOTr said it will continue monitoring the situation and is ‘in constant coordination with concerned local authorities and relevant agencies to ensure the safety of the riding public.’
Earlier this Wednesday, Caap said Mactan-Cebu International Airport and other airports in Visayas did not incur damage after the said Cebu-hit earthquake.