Chalssea Kate Echegoyen

Members of the Philippine Coast Guard, assisted by a SAR dog, continue their search and rescue operations on June 9, 2026, at a commercial building heavily damaged by a strong earthquake in Barangay Calumpang, General Santos City.  Courtesy of PCG

Article (news)

MINDANAO EARTHQUAKE- GEN SAN

Jervis Manahan

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA <strong>(UPDATED)</strong> — The suspension of classes in quake-hit areas of Mindanao may last months, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said on Wednesday.</p><p>In a chance interview during the inspection of the rebuilt building of San Francisco High School, Angara said it is difficult to give an estimate on when classes will resume since damage assessment is ongoing.</p><p>&quot;Mukang tatagal din ito ng ilang buwan kasi nasa evacuation centers pa yung iba. Yung ibang walang mauwian. So, pati teachers damay dito,&quot; Angara added.</p><p>(It could take a few months for classes to resume because many are still at evacuation centers. Many lost their homes. The teachers are also affected by the earthquake.)</p><p>The quake rocked many parts of Mindanao last June 8, also the first day of classes in public schools this academic year.</p><p>Angara says they will strengthen earthquake drills to further equip the students with better response in case there will be more quakes in the future.</p><p>&quot;Kahit gano karami beses mo ipractice, kapag nangyayari na talaga, nagtatakbuhan pa rin sila eh kahit instructions ay maglakad lang, sunud-sunod paglakad, minsan hindi nasusunod ang earthquake drills,&quot; he said.</p><p>(Even if you practice it repeatedly, sometimes people will still run when an earthquake hits even if the instructions are to walk to safety in an orderly fashion. Sometimes, the earthquake drills are forgotten.)</p><p>According to latest Department of Education data, 1,129 schools across Mindanao sustained damage in the earthquake.</p><p>Some 150 classrooms have been &quot;totally damaged&quot; — or destroyed — according to DepEd.</p><p>DepEd Undersecretary Malcolm Garma said Tuesday that classes remain suspended in around 8,000 schools in affected areas as local government units continue safety inspections.</p><p>Garma said the resumption of classes would depend on when local government units lift class suspensions and declare school buildings safe.</p><p>“Importante, maideklara muna ng kanilang building officials ng mga LGU na safe nang makabalik ang mga bata sa mga schools na ito,” he said.</p><p>(What is important is that the local building officials declare the schools safe so the students can come back)</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/6/9/what-we-know-about-the-magnitude-7-8-mindanao-earthquake-2032">What we know about the magnitude 7.8 Mindanao earthquake</a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/6/9/outdoor-hospitals-cut-off-communities-as-philippine-quake-toll-hits-41-1428">Outdoor hospitals, cut-off communities as Mindanao quake toll hits 41</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT</strong></div><p>DepEd said it is coordinating with local governments and other agencies to address both the physical and psychological impact of the disaster on students.</p><p>The agency has deployed teams to provide psychological first aid to affected learners, while the Department of Social Welfare and Development is conducting similar interventions in communities.</p><p>To fund repairs and reconstruction, DepEd plans to tap its Quick Response Fund in coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways.</p><p>Garma said around P3 billion has been allocated for emergency response and rehabilitation efforts.</p><p>“That’s why kailangan nating ma-validate para malaman ‘yung cost ng damage,” Garma said.</p><p>(That&#x27;s why we need to validate reports to determine the cost of damage.)</p><p>The damage and class suspensions are expected to affect instruction at the start of the school year.</p><p>Garma noted that under the recently implemented three-term school calendar, students are still in the opening block — which would include orientation and introductory sessions — of the academic year.</p><p>“But definitely kung hindi aabot sa opening block, or kakainin itong opening block, magca-catch up talaga ang mga bata kasi tatamaan talaga ‘yung instructional block natin,” Garma said. </p><p>(But definitely, if this extends past the schedule for the opening block, students will have to catch up since that will affect the instructional clock.)</p><p>To ensure resiliency and avoid disruptions in schools during earthquakes, Garma said school buildings should follow the National Building Code, which help ensure structures can withstand strong earthquakes.</p><p>Garma said the structural integrity of damaged school buildings should be checked even if damage does not seem serious.</p><p>He said severely damaged classrooms and buildings will be demolished and will be replaced with new buildings.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R_bl1-hW83A?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The suspension of classes in quake-hit areas of Mindanao may last months, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said on Wednesday.</p>

The suspension of classes in quake-hit areas of Mindanao may last months, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said on Wednesday.

Classes in quake-hit Mindanao areas could be suspended for months — Angara

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Classes in quake-hit Mindanao areas could be suspended for months — Angara

Chalssea Kate Echegoyen,

Jervis Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 10, 2026 09:50 AM PHT

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Updated June 10, 2026 12:59 PM PHT

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DepEd

Earthquake

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