At 7:37 a.m. on June 8, a catastrophic magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck about 20 miles offshore west of Maasim, Sarangani Province, Philippines, triggering a regional crisis across southern Mindanao. 

The powerful 30-second tremor was felt across several regions, generating more than 1,000 continuous aftershocks and triggering widespread coastal panic due to immediate, localized tsunami waves of up to 5 feet before alerts were safely lifted. 

According to the latest figures validated by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), the death toll has reached at least 37 individuals, including 13 villagers tragically buried in an immediate post-quake landslide in Glan, Sarangani, with hundreds more injured and dozens still reported missing.  

International Christian Concern’s (ICC) field staff in the Philippines are closely monitoring the situation in close coordination with partner ministries and local churches in the heavily affected areas. 

“We lift our hearts together in deep prayer for the people of Mindanao during this time of profound crisis,” an ICC staffer said. “We pray for supernatural comfort and safety over the grieving families who have suddenly lost loved ones, and we ask for the swift, safe recovery of those who remain missing under the debris. May God grant an overwhelming sense of peace to calm the severe trauma, anxiety, and fear gripping millions of residents, especially the young children, as volatile aftershocks continue to rock the region.” 

Instrumental intensities reached an alarming Intensity VIII (Very Destructive) in nearby General Santos City, where private commercial structures, school facilities, and local hospitals suffered partial-to-total structural collapse. Extensive regional infrastructure damages, widespread power blackouts, and critical telecommunication disruptions continue to heavily isolate remote municipalities and Indigenous ancestral domains. 

Reports from the field confirm that local churches have opened their doors and converted their sanctuaries into vital emergency evacuation centers, providing safe shelter, immediate access to drinking water, and essential family food packs to thousands of displaced and traumatized residents. To ensure relief efforts are deployed safely and strategically to the areas of greatest need, ICC is currently awaiting the comprehensive ground assessment reports from the Philippine Relief and Development Services (PHILRADS). 

“We also pray for frontline protection, strength, and divine guidance over the PHILRADS assessment teams, local pastors, medical personnel, and community volunteers as they navigate dangerous, landslide-prone corridors to deliver aid,” the ICC staffer said. “Finally, we pray for radical provision, asking that the global community and ministry companions respond with the urgent resources, funding, and structural support necessary to rebuild shattered homes, restore damaged church sanctuaries, and bring long-term, holistic healing to these resilient communities.” 

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