KORONADAL CITY — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) assured the public foodpacks are ready for families affected by the 6.3 magnitude quake that shook several parts in the Southern Philippines on Wednesday night.

Cezario Joel Espejo, DSWD-12 regional director, said the agency has 30 thousand standby foodpacks ready for augmentation to local government units.

Tectonic in origin with a depth of 15 kilometers, the quake was traced around 7:37pm 22 kilometers southeast of Tulunan town in North Cotabato.

Dir. Espejo said they have activated the agency’s disaster operation center for monitoring of reports and possible deployment of quick response team in areas affected by the earthquake.

“We are closely coordinating with local government units to gather incident reports for augmentation of assistance to families that are affected by the earthquake,” Dir. Espejo said.

The Philippines sits on the so-called Ring of Fire, a large area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean where shifting tectonic plates often cause tremors, according to seismologists. (Jeoffrey Maitem and Dennis Domingo / DSWD)