Quake Drills Save Lives
Philippines Confirms Disaster Drills Minimized Deaths After Powerful Offshore Earthquake
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A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck offshore Sarangani province in the southern Philippines on June 8, killing 55 people, leaving 31 missing, and injuring about 1,120 others. It was one of the strongest quakes to hit the country in 50 years — yet officials say the death toll could have been far worse. WTOP reported that years of disaster-preparedness drills are credited with saving lives.
The quake hit at 7:37 AM local time — the first day of school after a long summer break. More than 45,000 people were displaced, and over 12,600 houses were damaged across farming towns and cities. Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), said drills helped people "anticipate and brace for extreme events" like this one.
Drills Turned Instinct Into Lifesaving Action
Viral footage from Mahayahay Elementary School showed students screaming but instinctively crouching under desks while teachers kept order. Experts called it "drill muscle memory" — the result of quarterly Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drills (NSED) required by Philippine law since 2010. The most recent drill, held on March 12, 2026, focused specifically on school-based response and tsunami evacuation, according to Newsday.
Bacolcol pointed to the "Duck, Cover, and Hold" protocol as a key factor. Republic Act 10121, passed in 2010, mandated these drills four times a year. Officials noted that the early morning timing also helped — most people were already awake and active when the shaking started, making it easier to respond quickly.
Tsunami Warning, Landslides, and a Deadly Aftershock
Minutes after the quake, PHIVOLCS issued a tsunami warning for nine provinces. A 1.5-meter tsunami was recorded in Kiamba, Sarangani. Mass evacuations swept coastal Mindanao. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. suspended all school classes in affected regions. A landslide in Glan, Sarangani buried several homes. The local disaster chief, Rene Punzalan, said "the landslide happened immediately after the earthquake, so many lives were lost."
Two days later, a magnitude 6.4 aftershock partially collapsed a three-story grocery store in General Santos City, forcing rescuers to scramble for safety. In total, more than 3,860 aftershocks have followed the main quake. The strongest reached M6.7. The quake was generated by the Cotabato Trench, a major fault system that also produced the deadly 1976 Moro Gulf earthquake, which measured 8.1 and remains one of the country's most catastrophic.
Schools, Homes, and Entire Provinces Declare Calamity
The scale of destruction is massive. Over 19,000 houses were damaged or destroyed. Education Secretary Sonny Angara mobilized structural engineers to inspect 1,378 damaged public schools, with more than 8,740 classrooms affected across six regions. He said, "The safety of our learners, teachers, and school personnel remains our top priority." DepEd shifted affected schools to modular or online learning, though power outages in 48 municipalities made that difficult, according to Newsday.
Thirteen cities and municipalities — including General Santos City and all of Davao Occidental — were placed under a State of Calamity. That status unlocks emergency funds and price controls. About 86,135 families, or nearly 393,000 people, were affected across four regions. Initial damage estimates have already topped ₱1 billion (about $20.3 million), hitting agriculture, fisheries, and infrastructure hardest.
Preparedness Works, But Buildings Still Fall Short
Officials framed the event as proof that preparedness saves lives. Analysts agreed — disaster models had predicted far higher casualties for a 7.8 quake in this region. But experts also pointed to an "infrastructure gap." While people knew how to react, the buildings around them did not hold up. More than 1,500 classrooms were destroyed, suggesting weak enforcement of building codes for public structures, Seattle Times reported.
International groups like Save the Children and OCHA highlighted that 3.2 million students were affected — many traumatized by a disaster that struck on their very first day back at school. Local survivors in Glan and General Santos expressed frustration over slow aid delivery to isolated communities. The contrast between the government's preparedness success story and the reality on the ground remains sharp.
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