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Aubrey Rose Inosante - The Philippine Star
June 18, 2026 | 12:00am
Responders conduct a rescue operation at a collapsed building after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in General Santos City on June 8, 2026.
AFP / Ferdinandh Cabrera
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released an initial P362 million to jumpstart the rehabilitation of Mindanao communities struck by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake last June 8.
The DBM said the initial amount aims to fast-track the rehabilitation and reconstruction of damaged public facilities in Sarangani, General Santos City and South Cotabato.
The funds, drawn from the Local Government Support Fund, will be downloaded directly to affected local governments to accelerate recovery efforts and restore critical infrastructure in the hardest-hit areas.
“The P362 million we released is only an initial assistance. The government continues to have sufficient and readily available funds to support ongoing relief, rehabilitation and recovery efforts in areas affected by the earthquake and other calamities,” acting Budget Secretary Kim Robert de Leon said.
The DBM said it released P100 million to General Santos City for the repair and rehabilitation of a multipurpose building in Barangay Dadiangas East.
Meanwhile, P140 million was disbursed to Sarangani for the rehabilitation and improvement of earthquake-damaged infrastructure on June 15.
These include the rehabilitation of multipurpose buildings, a local road and the construction of a bridge in Alabel town, as well as the rehabilitation of a hospital and the construction of a local road in Glan town.
On the same date, South Cotabato got P122 million to fund the concreting of a local road connecting barangays Acmonan and Kablon in Tupi town.
The P362-million release is part of the government’s broader disaster response and recovery financing strategy.
Additional funding
Heeding President Marcos’ appeal to lawmakers to get back to work, the Senate has adopted a resolution urging the national government to secure immediate funding for the rehabilitation of communities devastated by the Mindanao quake.
Newly appointed Deputy Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, author of Senate Resolution 447, noted that initial assessments place the structural damage at P1.13 billion, a figure expected to rise once inspections are completed.
Meanwhile, House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos denounced claims that some localities did not receive budget related to earthquake relief efforts.
The Philippine Army’s Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response units have distributed aid to isolated communities and conducted search, rescue and retrieval efforts in landslide-hit areas in Davao Occidental and Sarangani.
The Insurance Commission has directed insurers to immediately facilitate claims processing in quake-hit areas. – Neil Jayson Servallos, Daphne Galvez, Michael Punongbaya
