Iloilo extends help to Mindanao after 7.8 quake kills 37

By Mariela Angella Oladive

The Iloilo provincial government is prepared to extend assistance to local government units affected by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck parts of Mindanao on the morning of June 8.

Provincial Administrator Raul Banias said the province is ready to mobilize its Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (PDRRM) funds once affected local government units declare a state of calamity.

Under Republic Act 10121, or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, local government units are mandated to set aside a portion of their annual revenue as a disaster fund, a portion of which can only be disbursed once a state of calamity is formally declared.

“We are saddened by what happened in Mindanao. We have seen reports of many buildings that were damaged, and we are praying for the affected communities,” Banias said in an interview.

“We are always ready to help. I know for sure that they will declare a state of calamity, and that will prompt us to mobilize our PDRRM funds to help them, just like when we provided help in Cebu,” he added.

The Office of Civil Defense reported that the death toll from the earthquake reached 37 as of 6 a.m. on June 9, while 456 people were injured and four remained missing.

The same report said the earthquake affected around 17,600 families across several areas in Mindanao.

Of the fatalities, four were recorded in the Davao Region and 33 in the Soccsksargen Region.

The earthquake struck off Maasim, Sarangani province, at 7:37 a.m. on June 8, coinciding with the opening day of classes in many schools.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) initially placed the epicenter near General Santos City and measured the quake at magnitude 7.0 before revising the figure to 7.8.

PHIVOLCS said the earthquake was triggered by movement along the active Cotabato Trench, which was also associated with the 1976 Moro Gulf earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands of people in Mindanao.

The agency has since recorded more than 1,000 aftershocks, including a magnitude 6.7 tremor.

Search, rescue, relief, medical response, and damage assessment operations remain ongoing in affected areas.

Banias, however, acknowledged that the province’s capability to deploy specialized rescue teams for earthquake-related emergencies remains limited, particularly in search-and-rescue operations involving collapsed structures.

“In terms of responders, we have yet to assess our capabilities since the calamity is an earthquake. For collapse structure response, the province is not yet ready,” he said.

Banias said the provincial government is conducting capability-building activities and procuring equipment for collapsed-structure rescue operations.

He added that local government units with existing equipment, including Pavia, may be tapped should the need arise.

“I think Pavia has equipment, but if they need support, we can discuss that,” he said.