Earthquake-affected population climbs to 1.4 million
Published Jun 16, 2026 02:21 pm
At A Glance
- In its latest disaster report, DSWD said 1,416,721 individuals or 339,135 families from 527 barangays in Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) have been affected by the powerful tremor on June 8.
- DSWD said it has provided ₱192.8 million worth of humanitarian assistance to affected communities.
The structural remains of a fast-food restaurant lie in ruins in General Santos City on Monday, June 8, 2026, after a powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Mindanao region. The intense tremor caused widespread structural damage, triggered regional tsunami warnings, and knocked out critical power infrastructure across the southern grid. (Ryan Jay Quizon I Facebook)
The number of people affected by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Southern Mindanao has climbed to 1.4 million a week after the disaster, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Tuesday, June 16.
In its latest disaster report, DSWD said 1,416,721 individuals or 339,135 families from 527 barangays in Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) have been affected by the powerful tremor on June 8.
The agency said it has provided ₱192.8 million worth of humanitarian assistance to affected communities.
DSWD Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Irene Dumlao said the continued delivery of assistance was supported by the prepositioning of more than 1.1 million family food packs in warehouses across Mindanao before the earthquake struck.
She said at least 219,000 family food packs have already been distributed to displaced residents in Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao Region, Soccsksargen.
“Ngayon po ang ginagawa natin replenishment na lang. Rini-replenish natin nang sa gayon, ma-ensure natin na continuous yung provision of assistance (What we are doing now is replenishment. We are restocking our warehouses to ensure the continuous provision of assistance),” she added.
Dumlao said the DSWD has also tapped the Philippine Air Force and the Philippine Coast Guard to transport relief supplies to geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, including Jose Abad Santos, Glan and Balut Island.
“Sinasamantala natin ano ’yung assets na naipo-provide sa atin ng Philippine Air Force at ng Philippine Coast Guard para again, sabi ko nga ma-ensure na tuloy-tuloy yung pamamahagi ng tulong (We are maximizing the assets being provided by the Philippine Air Force and the Philippine Coast Guard to ensure the continuous distribution of assistance),” she said.
In addition to food assistance, mobile kitchens from other regions have been deployed to augment existing facilities in Davao Region and Soccsksargen for evacuees staying in temporary shelters.
DSWD has at least ₱5.06 billion worth of available relief resources, including ₱734.7 million in quick response funds and ₱4.3 billion worth of food and non-food items ready for deployment.
To ensure the continuous delivery of assistance, Dumlao urged affected residents to coordinate with their local government units.
“Makinig po tayo sa abiso ng ating mga lokal na pamahalaan, para po sa maayos, organized, and systematic distribution of food and non-food items (Let us listen to the advisories of our local government units for the orderly, organized and systematic distribution of food and non-food items),” she said.
As of 9 a.m. Tuesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) had recorded 6,652 aftershocks from the Sarangani earthquake, with magnitudes ranging from 1.2 to 6.4. Of these, 80 were felt.