Manila, June 16 -- The government is accelerating the release of emergency assistance and recovery funds for communities affected by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Mindanao, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said Tuesday.

"The full machinery of government is mobilized. Ayon sa utos ng Pangulo, agad nating naipadala ang tulong sa mga apektadong pamilya at patuloy nating bibilisan ang paglalabas ng karagdagang suporta upang matulungan silang makabangon sa lalong madaling panahon (In line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive, we have immediately sent assistance to the affected families and we will continue to expedite the release of additional support to help them recover as soon as possible)," Recto said.

Recto said the Pres...