The death toll from the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Maasim, Sarangani, has climbed to 61, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Sunday, June 14.
According to the latest agency update, the powerful tremor has left 1,403 people injured and 40 others missing. Infrastructure damage across the hard-hit regions is now estimated at ₱1 billion, with 725 facilities compromised.
The disaster has impacted nearly 54,000 residences, completely destroying 9,900 homes and leaving the rest partially damaged.
A state of calamity remains active across 13 cities and municipalities. In response, the national government has distributed ₱67.6 million in financial and material aid to assist the estimated 724,000 individuals affected by the crisis.
To reach cut-off communities, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) have accelerated their joint air and sea logistics.
Philippine Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala confirmed that emergency responders are penetrating isolated villages to distribute essential goods.
”Army responders, together with the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and the Philippine Coast Guard, successfully delivered essential food packs, clean water, and medical relief to isolated areas in Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental, and Glan, Sarangani Province,” Dema-ala said.
The military has also prioritized restoring critical water access in areas where local systems failed.
“The Army, in cooperation with the Bureau of Fire Protection, has also deployed a mobile water filtration system to provide much-needed potable water to quake-affected families in Maasim, Sarangani,” Dema-ala added. “Search, rescue, and retrieval missions remain ongoing, with teams deployed to locate missing individuals, particularly in high-risk landslide zones.”
Simultaneously, the PCG has expanded its deployment under its specialized iCARE initiative to streamline provincial relief distribution.
“The deployment forms part of the PCG’s iCARE campaign and ongoing humanitarian operations in support of national government efforts to provide immediate relief and essential services to communities affected by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake,” PCG spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab explained.
The PCG has deployed its Airbus CGH-1452 helicopter to airlift medical personnel and emergency supplies to remote mountain villages, including Barangay Congan in Glan and Barangay Alegado in Malapatan.
For coastal operations, naval vessels including the BRP Corregidor (AE-891), BRP Malamawi (FPB-2403), and the BFAR vessel MCS 3007 have transported massive shipments of tents, blankets, clothing, and food packs to isolated shores in Jose Abad Santos, completing a massive logistical network aimed at stabilizing the disaster zones.