Children, women and other vulnerable groups affected by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Sarangani province on June 8 are receiving psychosocial support as thousands of residents remain displaced across Mindanao.

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said social workers and partner agencies have been conducting child-friendly activities and psychological first aid sessions in evacuation centers to help affected individuals cope with the impact of the earthquake.

As of June 18, DSWD said its social workers, known as Angels in Red Vests, had assisted 168 beneficiaries through activities conducted in child-friendly spaces, while 74 individuals received psychological first aid through play therapy, art sessions and other interventions.

Gatchalian also cited activities conducted by the DSWD and partner agencies for 20 child evacuees in Glan, Sarangani, one of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake.

The agency's field offices in Mindanao also continue to conduct camp coordination and management activities in evacuation centers housing internally displaced persons, particularly children and women.

Based on the latest report of the Disaster Response Operations Monitoring, Information, and Communication (DROMIC), a total of 86,006 individuals, or 21,876 families, remained displaced by the earthquake.

Of the total, 22,655 individuals from 5,203 families were staying in 48 evacuation centers across Mindanao, while 63,351 individuals from 16,673 families were staying with relatives or friends.

The DSWD said it has distributed 381,998 family food packs, 10,664 non-food items, and 10,364 ready-to-eat food packs worth P270.24 million.

The agency has also deployed four mobile command centers, five mobile kitchens, and a water tank and filtration system to support relief operations.