Cotabato City, June 9 -- General Santos City Mayor Lorelie Geronimo Pacquiao on Tuesday lauded the swift and coordinated response of national and local government agencies, as well as frontline responders, following Monday's magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck parts of Mindanao.

Pacquiao cited the rapid deployment of emergency response teams, noting that the prompt actions of various government agencies were crucial to ensuring public safety, facilitating evacuations, and addressing the immediate needs of affected communities.

At least 30 of the 37 reported fatalities from the powerful earthquake were recorded in General Santos City, making it the hardest-hit area in terms of casualties.

The mayor also commended disaster response per...