MANILA, Philippines — Actress and television host Melai Cantiveros has appealed for prayers and assistance for her hometown of General Santos City after a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southern Philippines on Monday.
Cantiveros shared photos on Instagram showing the aftermath of the earthquake and expressed concern for residents affected by the powerful tremor, which was felt across parts of Mindanao.
“In Jesus Name tanggalin nyu na Lord ang mga aftershocks and sana Lord makabangon ang Mindanao labi na ang Gensan Lord sa paglindol na itu (In Jesus' name, Lord, please remove the aftershocks and help Mindanao, especially General Santos, recover from this earthquake),” she wrote.
“Thank you sa lahat ng nangamusta sa pamilya ko , thank you Lord all safe sila and praying for all families na safe din sila (Thank you to everyone who asked about my family. Thank you, Lord, they are all safe, and I am praying that all families are safe as well),” she added.
The television personality also used her platform to call for immediate assistance, noting that hospitals in General Santos require additional tents amid relief and emergency operations.
“Panawagan nadin po sa lahat ng gustu mag help need po ng more Tents sa mga hospitals namin dun (I am also calling on everyone who wants to help. We need more tents for our hospitals there) #PrayforMindanao,” Cantiveros ended her post.
The appeal came as authorities continued assessing the impact of what the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) described as the strongest earthquake to hit the country this year.
Phivolcs said the earthquake struck at 7:37 a.m. and was later upgraded to magnitude 7.8. The agency reported that the quake occurred at a depth of 33 kilometers and was centered about 32 kilometers south, 4 degrees west of Maasim, Sarangani.
As of posting, at least 19 people have died from the earthquake which damaged buildings and infrastructure and prompted tsunami warnings and advisories in parts of the Asia-Pacific region.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the suspension of classes at all levels in affected areas across Mindanao and directed government agencies to immediately carry out disaster response, relief and recovery efforts.
Emergency responders continued damage assessments and humanitarian operations throughout the region as displaced residents sought temporary shelter and assistance.
