Vice President Sara Duterte has urged residents of Davao Oriental to remain calm and prepared following a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck the province on Friday morning, Oct. 10, causing panic across several towns and cities in Southern Mindanao.

In a statement, Duterte said the Office of the Vice President – Southern Mindanao Satellite Office (OVP-SMSO) is closely monitoring developments and is on standby to assist local governments in their relief and response operations.

“The OVP-SMSO is closely monitoring the situation following the earthquake in Manay, Davao Oriental,” she said.

“We are currently on standby to assist any Local Government Unit (LGU) in providing relief to evacuees, should the need arise,” she added.

She urged affected residents, especially families with children, to seek aid to help manage trauma and anxiety caused by the tremor and its aftershocks.

“We urge those affected by the earthquake to seek psychological first aid to help alleviate anxiety and fear, especially for children who may be more vulnerable,” the Vice President said.

“It is also important to ensure that Go Emergency Bags are prepared and accessible, in anticipation of possible aftershocks,” she added.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the earthquake struck at 9:43 a.m. on Friday, with its epicenter located 44 kilometers northeast of Manay, Davao Oriental, at a shallow depth of 20 kilometers.

Initially measured at magnitude 7.6, the quake was later downgraded to 7.4 after further analysis. Phivolcs said the tremor was tectonic in origin, triggered by the movement of an active fault system in the area.

Authorities warned of possible aftershocks and structural damage, urging residents in coastal areas and high-risk zones to stay alert and follow advisories from local disaster offices.

Friday’s earthquake came just ten days after a magnitude 6.9 quake hit Cebu on Sept. 30, killing at least 72 people and displacing more than 20,000 residents. That tremor also caused widespread infrastructure damage across the province.