Two days after a powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook Mindanao on June 8, 2026, the Philippine Army had mobilized a substantial ground force — 253 personnel actively deployed and another 607 on stand-by alert — as rescue teams raced to reach survivors still reported missing beneath collapsed structures across the affected region.
Colonel Louie G. Dema-ala, Chief Public Affairs of the Philippine Army, confirmed in an official statement that operations were well underway as of June 10, 2026, with multiple response fronts open across General Santos City and surrounding quake-hit areas in Mindanao.
USAR Team Digs Through Collapsed Supermarket in General Santos City
Among the most urgent ongoing operations is the work being carried out by an 18-member Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team at a collapsed supermarket in Barangay Calumpang, General Santos City. According to Colonel Dema-ala's statement, individuals remain unaccounted for beneath the debris of the commercial building, making the site one of the most critical focal points of the Army's disaster response effort.
USAR teams are equipped with specialized tools and technical protocols designed specifically for operating in structurally compromised environments. Their mandate covers search, rescue, and retrieval — including the extraction of survivors and, when necessary, the recovery of remains from collapsed buildings. The June 10 operations at the Calumpang supermarket represent a continuation of efforts that began in the immediate hours following the June 8 seismic event.
General Santos City, a major urban center in the Soccsksargen region of Mindanao, sustained notable structural damage as a result of the earthquake. At magnitude 7.8 — classified internationally as a major earthquake — the seismic event was powerful enough to compromise buildings throughout the city and surrounding areas.
Air Evacuation Brings Four Survivors Out of Remote Balut Island
Rescue efforts have not been confined to urban zones. Army troops and coordinating response units conducted an aerial casualty evacuation — referred to in military terms as a CASEVAC — for four individuals rescued from Balut Island, located at the southernmost edge of Davao Occidental.
The remote and geographically isolated nature of Balut Island made overland or sea transport impractical under the post-quake conditions, according to the Philippine Army's public affairs release. Aerial evacuation was determined to be the fastest and most reliable means of transporting the rescued residents to medical facilities. The operation underscores how the disaster's reach extended beyond easily accessible mainland areas into isolated island communities along the southern fringes of Mindanao.
Davao Occidental, as one of the provinces within the earthquake's zone of impact, represents the broader geographic scope of the June 8 disaster. The inclusion of Balut Island in active rescue operations illustrates the logistical complexity facing response teams working across both densely populated urban centers and hard-to-reach coastal settlements.
AFP Named Lead Search and Rescue Agency by Civil Defense Office
In a formal move that clarifies the chain of command in the response effort, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) has officially designated the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as the lead agency for all search and rescue operations arising from the June 8 earthquake, the Philippine Army's public affairs office reported.
This designation grants the AFP coordinating authority over the various government agencies, local government units (LGUs), and civilian responders currently operating within the disaster zones. The arrangement is consistent with the framework established under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, which assigns the AFP a central coordination role in large-scale emergencies that require the integration of both military and civilian response capabilities.
The Philippine Army stated it is working hand-in-hand with national agencies and local government units to ensure that rescue efforts at collapsed buildings are conducted in an organized and timely manner, while simultaneously facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance to displaced residents.
Combined Strength of Over 860 Army Personnel Committed to Response
Taken together, the 253 troops currently in the field and the 607 personnel maintained on stand-by alert bring the Philippine Army's total committed force to more than 860 military personnel as of the June 10, 2026 update from Colonel Dema-ala.
The stand-by contingent serves a critical operational function: it allows the Army to rapidly expand its footprint if additional collapsed structures are identified, if new distress signals are received from previously unreachable areas, or if deteriorating conditions in affected zones demand a surge in manpower. Active deployments are concentrated in General Santos City but extend to other earthquake-affected localities across Mindanao.
The scale of the commitment reflects the severity of the June 8 earthquake. A magnitude 7.8 event ranks among the most destructive seismic occurrences that can affect densely inhabited areas, particularly where aging infrastructure and older building stock may not have been constructed to withstand such forces.
Humanitarian Assistance for Displaced Families Also Underway
Alongside active search and rescue missions, the Philippine Army has indicated that coordination with local government units extends to the delivery of humanitarian aid for families displaced by the quake. Collapsed homes, damaged roads, and disrupted utility services are common outcomes following a major seismic event of this magnitude, forcing large numbers of residents into evacuation centers and temporary shelters.
The Army's role in aid delivery runs parallel to its rescue mandate, ensuring that communities not only receive help in locating missing persons but also have access to food, water, and essential supplies during the critical post-disaster period. However, as of the June 10 statement from Colonel Dema-ala, specific figures on the number of displaced families and the precise nature of aid packages being distributed had not yet been released. Further updates are expected as field assessments are completed by relevant national agencies.
Philippines' Location Along Ring of Fire Makes Major Quakes a Recurring Risk
The June 8, 2026 earthquake is the latest in a long history of major seismic events affecting the Philippine archipelago. Situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines is among the world's most seismically active nations. Mindanao in particular has experienced destructive earthquakes in the past that resulted in significant casualties, widespread infrastructure damage, and prolonged humanitarian crises — especially in areas where access to emergency services is limited by geography.
Standard disaster response doctrine holds that the first 72 hours following a major earthquake are the most critical window for locating and extracting survivors from beneath rubble. The Philippine Army's sustained operations on June 10 — exactly 48 hours after the initial strike — fall squarely within this high-priority window, reinforcing the urgency with which rescue teams are pressing forward at sites like the Barangay Calumpang supermarket.
Operations Set to Continue as Damage Assessment Expands Across Affected Zones
According to the Philippine Army's public affairs office, rescue and relief operations will be maintained as assessments of affected areas continue to expand. The 607 personnel held in reserve remain on alert for rapid deployment based on ground-level developments, while the 18-member USAR team in Barangay Calumpang pressed on with its work at the collapsed supermarket as of the June 10 release.
Comprehensive damage assessments, official casualty tallies, and displacement figures are expected to be released by the OCD and other relevant national agencies as information is gathered and verified from across the impacted zones. The Philippine Army's Public Affairs Office has committed to providing further updates as the response effort evolves in the days ahead.
Photo credit: Photo from S7, 525 CEBn, CER / Philippine Army
Source: Originally reported by breakingnewsnegor.com