The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Tuesday reported that nearly 146,000 individuals have been affected by the powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck parts of Mindanao, particularly Regions 11 and 12, including General Santos City and Sarangani Province.
During a press briefing on June 9, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Officer-in-Charge Asec. Bernardo Rafaelito R. Alejandro IV said the government’s disaster response operations remain in full swing as search, rescue, and relief efforts continue in heavily affected communities.
“So far, based on the data from the field, we have a total of 32,926 families or 145,693 persons affected in 163 barangays,” Alejandro said.
According to the NDRRMC, the affected areas are located in Regions 9, 11, 12, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), with the worst-hit areas concentrated in General Santos City and Sarangani Province.
Authorities said around 8,725 families or nearly 32,000 individuals are currently staying in 54 evacuation centers, while 1,804 families are temporarily sheltered outside evacuation facilities.
The agency also confirmed that, as of 9 a.m. Monday, there were 37 reported fatalities, 488 injured individuals, and four persons still missing following the strong quake.
“Our search and rescue is still ongoing as we speak,” Alejandro stressed.
To support ongoing operations, the government has deployed thousands of responders from various agencies. Alejandro said 2,784 search, rescue, and retrieval personnel have been mobilized in Regions 11 and 12, while another 1,475 personnel remain on standby for deployment.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines deployed 20 teams, while the Philippine National Police (PNP) sent 310 teams. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) mobilized 169 teams, and the Bureau of Fire Protection deployed 510 teams across affected areas.
Authorities are also utilizing land, sea, and air assets, including helicopters and C-130 trucks, to speed up relief delivery and emergency operations.
Alejandro added that Cabinet officials recently visited Davao and General Santos City to personally assess the situation, following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to ensure continuous aid distribution to affected local government units.
“All hands po tayo, yung buong NDRRMC ay nakatutok ngayon,” he said.
The NDRRMC also confirmed that OCD Administrator Jose Cabrera remains in the affected areas to supervise operations and conduct damage assessments, including in Balut Island, Sarangani, where several structures reportedly collapsed.
Meanwhile, the Department of Energy has deployed teams on the ground to facilitate the immediate restoration of electricity in quake-hit communities.
The powerful earthquake that struck General Santos City and nearby areas caused widespread damage and panic across parts of Mindanao.
