Authorities have detected no signs of life as 36 individuals remain missing following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Maasim, Sarangani, last week.
In a press conference on Monday, June 15, 2026, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Deputy Administrator for Administration Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said the missing individuals are victims of landslide incidents in Jose Abad Santos in Davao Occidental.
Alejandro said authorities are “trying hard” to recover the remains of the victims.
“I was there yesterday, in one area, the search-and-rescue team had already pulled out because the landslide was massive -- the mountainside had collapsed. The equipment could not get up there, so resources were redirected to other areas that needed them,” he said.
In a situational report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the death toll due to the powerful earthquake has reached 65 -- eight in Davao Region and 57 in Soccsksargen.
It said a total of 176,186 families or 736,386 persons in 512 barangays in Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao, Soccsksargen, and Bangsamoro were affected by the calamity.
Of the affected population, 3,180 families or 14,161 persons were in 37 evacuation centers.
Alejandro said infrastructural damages further grow at P1.13 billion, involving 728 vital structures both in the public and private sector.
The NDRRMC said a total of 57,252 houses were damaged by the earthquake with 10,023 destroyed and 47,229 partially damaged.
It said a total of 14 cities or municipalities were placed under state of calamity due to the effects of the jolt.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development said P137,369,496.39 worth of assistance has been provided to the affected residents.
