Philippines mobilises state apparatus after magnitude 7.8 quake kills 37
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has deployed key cabinet secretaries to Mindanao as officials warn the death toll from the Cotabato Trench earthquake may rise, with thousands of schools and homes damaged across the region.
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake triggered by movement along the Cotabato Trench has struck Mindanao in the southern Philippines, causing widespread structural failure and leaving 37 people dead with 487 injured. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has activated the entire government machinery to manage the disaster, with Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa and the Transportation Secretary deployed to the island to oversee emergency operations.
The scale of the devastation is becoming apparent as responders reach coastal areas, revealing collapsed buildings, cracked roads, and landslides that have severed access to several towns. Large swathes of the island remain without electricity or telecommunications, complicating coordination efforts. Assistant Secretary Bernardo Alejandro, who supervises disaster response, told DZMM radio that while authorities hope the death toll does not increase, they expect the figures to rise as search and rescue operations continue.
Infrastructure damage is extensive, with approximately 2,000 homes and 6,000 public schools estimated to have been damaged. The timing of the event, occurring during the Monday morning flag ceremony, likely mitigated casualties among students, according to Science Minister and seismologist Renato Solidum. Solidum noted that students were outside during the assembly, allowing them to stay put and avoid the structural collapses that affected other buildings.
Isolation remains a critical challenge for relief efforts. In Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental, Mayor Jason John Joyce reported that landslides have buried the town’s only highway, rendering half of the municipality inaccessible by road. Consequently, relief goods must be air-dropped to far-flung villages. The region is prone to seismic activity due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, and the Cotabato Trench previously generated a magnitude 7.9 earthquake in 1976 that killed approximately 5,000 people.
Tsunami warnings were issued for Indonesia, southern Mindanao, and Japan’s Pacific coast, displacing tens of thousands of people. While the fast-food chain Jollibee confirmed that all staff in hit areas are safe following the collapse of a branch in General Santos City, the broader humanitarian response is hampered by hundreds of aftershocks. Health Secretary Herbosa noted that strong aftershocks continued to hit even as medical teams treated the injured, underscoring the volatile conditions facing emergency personnel.
