BARELY three weeks after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake shuddered Mindanao, 31 persons have remained missing — and from how it looks, they’d remain as such as the retrieval operations are winding down.
The death toll from four regions stood at 81, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
Citing its own data, the NDRRMC said that 1.63 million individuals across 620 barangays in Regions 9, 11 and 12 and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) remain billeted in 63 government evacuation centers.
Retrieval operations, though continuing, are winding down because of the perilous conditions to search and rescue teams by the continuing aftershocks and resultant landslides.
The NDRRMC also reported that a total of 1,315 people were also reported injured, although most of the reported casualties are still undergoing validation.
As of Friday morning, 86,919 individuals remain displaced, including 23,568 people from 5,496 families staying in 63 evacuation centers. Another 63,351 individuals are taking temporary shelter with relatives or friends.
The earthquake also left widespread destruction, damaging 87,058 houses, including 15,429 that were totally destroyed and 71,629 that sustained partial damage.
Most schools in earthquake-hit Region XII are set to resume classes except for GenSan and Sarangani where schools either collapsed or sustained major damages.
Damage to infrastructure has reached P1.356 billion, affecting 912 infrastructure facilities in the affected regions, according to the NDRRMC.
The agency also reported 127 road sections and 47 bridges were affected by the quake, with 15 roads and eight bridges remaining impassable.
State seismologists have recorded 10,109 aftershocks since the June 8 earthquake, including 106 that were felt. The strongest aftershock measured magnitude 6.4.
A total of 18 cities and municipalities remain under the state of calamity due to the earthquake’s impact. Government assistance extended to affected families has reached P470.03 million, while aid provided to local government units and regional agencies has totaled P8.58 million, the NDRRMC said, reported GMA News Online.
Teams from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Special Rescue Forces and the Philippine Red Cross continue to conduct targeted search and retrieval operations in the heavily devastated and landslide-prone areas of Glan, Saranggani.
Operations in highly dangerous or fully searched areas, such as New Aklan, were officially halted due to extreme risks to responders.
In areas where all missing victims have been recovered or the search is no longer deemed feasible, the focus has entirely shifted toward relief, clearing and rehabilitation.
The Provincial Government of Sarangani continues to operate under extended emergency protocols as recovery efforts progress.
As of June 22, provincial response operations remained in full swing in Sarangani as authorities intensify search, rescue, retrieval, and humanitarian efforts from the quake that devastated several communities in the municipalities of Glan and Malapatan last June 8, according to the official statement of the province’s public relations office.
The ongoing operations were among the key matters discussed during the Incident Management Team (IMT) meeting held on June 22 at the Emergency Operations Center, where Governor Rogelio D. Pacquiao, Responsible Officer, convened IMT members and provincial department heads to review the latest developments and direct succeeding actions in affected areas.
During the meeting, Lt. Col. Orly Brigoli, Executive Officer of the 1002nd Infantry Brigade, Armed Forces of the Philippines, reported that eight barangays continue to have declared missing persons, with search and retrieval operations currently concentrated in Barangay Mudan in Glan.
Authorities continue to assess conditions in landslide-affected areas to ensure the safety of deployed personnel while pursuing efforts to account for those still missing.
Parallel to the search operations, engineering teams are undertaking road rehabilitation works along the Kaltuad–E. Alegado route to restore access to isolated communities and improve the movement of emergency responders, equipment, and relief supplies.
Humanitarian assistance efforts also continue across earthquake-hit areas, with government agencies and partner organizations distributing food packs and other essential aid to affected families. Relief operations are being sustained in vulnerable and hard-to-reach communities, while additional response teams are set to be deployed to Barangay Datal Bukay to strengthen field operations and expand the delivery of assistance.
Gov. Pacquiao underscored the importance of maintaining a coordinated whole-of-government approach as Sarangani continues its response and recovery efforts, ensuring that search, retrieval, rehabilitation, and humanitarian interventions reach communities most affected by the disaster.
On June 17, the provincial PIO reported the BFP’s Special Rescue Forces (SRF) were battling unstable terrain and massive landslides, but continued their search, rescue, and retrieval operations,
BFP Region XII SRF
BFP Region XII SRF Acting Chief and Deputy Incident Commander F/Supt. Lowyn Amoyar said the BFP national headquarters augmented local response teams with SRF units from Caraga, BARMM, Region Xl, and Region XII.
The SRF from Caraga had been pre-positioned in General Santos City since June 8 before their deployment to Glan- the same team that successfully recovered the remains of the last reported missing person from the collapsed Savemore supermarket in Barangay Calumpang following the earthquake, he added.
The SRF teams penetrated far-flung barangays reported with landslides and missing individuals, including New Aklan, Congan, Calpidong, Calabanit, and other affected areas, with the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office guiding the teams in locating the sites.
Gov. Pacquiao is closely coordinating with the local IMT in Glan to ensure that response operations are properly supported and that no affected community is left without assistance.
As of June 16, a total of 31 confirmed deaths have been recorded in Sarangani, 17 still missing, 2,119 sought temporary shelter in evacuation areas, and a total of 80,867 families reported affected.
In New Aklan, however, operations have been stopped as recommended by the IMT as of June 15.
The site, Amoyar said, has become too dangerous to continue. Three tension cracks have been spotted in the immediate work area, growing bigger and deeper with every aftershock. Responders reported that the cracks open and close with each tremor, and the rear of the tension crack is already a deep cliff. “So, it’s very unsafe for the rescuers,” Amoyar said.
Amoyar noted that while inaccessibility remains a major operational challenge, progress is being made with all barangays now accessible by trail motorcycle, and some can be reached through four-wheel-drive vehicles.
However, the “situation remains fluid” as tremors continue to be felt across the municipality, he quipped.