Manila, June 9 -- Acting Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Giovanni Lopez announced the reopening of the General Santos Airport on Tuesday for disaster response, with commercial flights to resume in a week.

In a statement, Lopez said the airport will allow military, humanitarian, government, and cargo flights to ensure the smooth implementation of disaster response after Monday's magnitude 7.8 earthquake.

He also ordered the accelerated repair of the airport and to ensure the structural integrity of all transport hubs in the affected areas.

"I'm just giving po ang CAAP (Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines), pati 'yung mga tauhan natin dito, ng one week para maayos nila 'yung kumbaga 'yung isang lugar dito para at l...