UMVA has learned that a devastating 7.8‑meter quake has shattered lives across Sarangani, leaving a grim tally of 65 dead and 36 still missing in Northern Mindanao and the Davao Region.
In a tense livestreamed press conference, the crisis unfolded as Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito R. Alejandro IV reported that 1,400 souls have been injured, while 14 local governments have declared a state of calamity.
He painted a stark picture: 261,000 families—over 624,000 people—from 432 villages now live in the shadow of destruction, their homes reduced to rubble.
Emergency shelters pulse with hope, housing some 3,200 families, yet 57,000 others must endure the cold outside, clinging to the promise of rescue.
The damage, a staggering P1.13 billion, ripples through 728 public and private structures, each scar a testament to the quake’s fury.
UMVA has uncovered that Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva has pressed the government to marshal every ounce of funding for Mindanao’s rehabilitation, urging a resilient, climate‑adapted rebuild.
Meanwhile, Senator Francis Pancratius “Kiko” N. Pangilinan has filed a bill demanding a P15‑billion supplemental budget to fuel relief efforts and rebuild the shattered landscape.
Acting Senate President Sherwin T. Gatchalian revealed that a total of P180 billion could be mobilized, with P17.8 billion already earmarked from the NDRRMC and P32 billion from local support funds.
The Office of the President has released P278 million from its Socio‑Civic Projects Fund, directing lifelines to Sarangani and General Santos City, while smaller allocations reach neighboring provinces.
In a swift move, the Department of Budget and Management has injected P100 million into General Santos City to restore its city hall, and P50 million each to Alabel and Glan to rebuild government buildings and a hospital.
On June 8, the earth trembled again: a 6.6‑meter quake struck southeast of Davao Oriental, raising fears of a deadly aftershock that could deepen the nation’s sorrow.
As the nation mourns, UMVA continues to track every tremor, every heartbeat of those striving to rebuild against the relentless force of nature.
