The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said response teams are still gathering and verifying field reports from areas hit by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Mindanao on Monday morning, June 8.
OCD spokesman Junie Castillo said the quake occurred past 7:30 a.m. and was traced by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology to movement along the Cotabato Trench.
Castillo said officials from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, OCD, Department of National Defense, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Education, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Health, and other agencies were already en route to Davao City.
From there, he said the teams would proceed to affected communities to help assess the situation and coordinate the government’s response.
By Monday noon, the OCD had received initial reports of injured residents in Davao Occidental, General Santos City, South Cotabato, and other areas. Castillo said reports of possible fatalities were also being checked, but stressed that these had yet to be confirmed.
“May mga bine-verify din po tayong mga casualties o yung mga hindi nakaligtas kasama dyan sa Davao Occidental, sa Gensan, sa South Cotabato. Pero again, ito po ay mga inisyal na datos at kinukuha po namin on the ground yung mga ulat po tungkol dito,” Castillo said.
Authorities were also validating reports of damage to several structures, including facilities at the General Santos International Airport, a tower in General Santos City, and facilities in Sarangani and nearby areas.
On the possible tsunami impact, Castillo said the OCD had not received any significant report so far. However, he said authorities were still checking information on a slight rise in water level in some areas.
Castillo also urged residents in affected communities to remain alert as aftershocks continued following the strong quake. He said more than 100 aftershocks had already been recorded as of around 10 a.m.
“Yung mga kababayan po natin ay pinag-iingat talaga natin, maging alerto po dito sa mga inaasahan pang mga mangyayaring aftershocks,” he said.
The OCD also received reports of power outages and communication line problems in some areas. Castillo said personnel were being sent to help restore communication and electricity lines and gather more complete information from the ground.
Government agencies are continuing assessment and response operations as they await further reports from affected localities.