General santos: Acting Department of Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez announced the reopening of the General Santos Airport on Tuesday for disaster response, with commercial flights set to resume in a week. In a statement, Lopez said the airport will accommodate military, humanitarian, government, and cargo flights to facilitate disaster response operations following Monday's magnitude 7.8 earthquake.

According to Philippines News Agency, Lopez has ordered the accelerated repair of the airport and emphasized the importance of ensuring the structural integrity of all transport hubs in the affected areas. He stated, "I'm giving CAAP and personnel here one week to fix this place so we can resume commercial operations in General Santos City."

All commercial flights to and from General Santos City have been cancelled since Monday. Lopez conducted an inspection of the airport on Monday, discovering damaged ceilings, wall cracks, and broken glass from the control tower. He instructed an immediate assessment of the airport's structural integrity and the rehabilitation of the passenger terminal building, as well as repairs to the electrical system.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed officials to promptly assess the situation of citizens and transport hubs. Lopez emphasized the importance of ensuring the safety of all workers and passengers during the expedited repair process. During the inspection, Lopez was joined by DOTr Senior Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark Steven Pastor, Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports Jim Sydiongco, Undersecretary for Planning Teodorico Delfin, CAAP Director General Raul Del Rosario, and Deputy Director General Danjun Lucas.