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DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 31 Oct) – The residence of President Rodrigo R. Duterte sustained minor cracks after the magnitude 6.5 earthquake that struck parts of Mindanao Thursday morning, Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go said on Thursday.
Go, Duterte’s former aide who was later appointed as special assistant to President, told reporters in an interview that the cracks were seen at the ceiling of the President’s bedroom on the second floor at his house in Doña Luisa Subdivision in Matina.
He said the President was in his comfort room when the earthquake struck, the third major tremor that hit mainly North Cotabato in two weeks.
Go said the President was safe after the earthquake.
He added that Duterte would push through with his scheduled trip to Thailand on Friday to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit despite the destructive earthquake.
“Don’t worry about our President because he’s safe,” the senator said.
Go said they had Duterte’s 25-year-old house checked by an engineer to check its stability.
He pointed out that the President’s residence is old, originally a one-story house. Duterte later added a second floor, but Go hinted that the house’s structure was probably designed for only one floor.
(Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)