Actress and television host Melai Cantiveros returned to General Santos City after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Mindanao and extended assistance to affected residents while checking on her family, according to posts she shared on social media.
Cantiveros said she traveled to her hometown to check on her mother and relatives and provide assistance within her means to residents affected by the disaster.
“I need to go home to check on my mother and my family, and to extend whatever help I can,” she said in Filipino.
She also said fellow celebrities Angel Locsin, Kim Chiu, Robi Domingo and Bianca Gonzalez provided assistance to residents of General Santos City.
Through videos posted on Instagram Stories, Cantiveros documented damage to roads, houses, business establishments and churches in the city.
While visiting a church, she said structural damage prevented people from entering the building, prompting parish officials to hold Mass outside.
“This church was really damaged, so people are not allowed to go near it. That’s why Mass is now being held outside,” she said in Filipino.
The earthquake struck near Maasim, Sarangani, in Mindanao. According to data released by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on June 16, the earthquake left at least 68 people dead and 33 others missing.
