GLAN, Sarangani (MindaNews / 20 June 2026) — Two senior citizens, an infant, and a toddler were among the 21 recorded casualties here of the Magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck on June 8, according to data from the municipal office of the Department of Interior and Local Government XII’s Management of the Dead and Missing (MDM).
The two senior citizens were a 67-year-old male from Barangay Calabanit and a 71-year-old female from the Poblacion.
A three-year-old girl and a nine-month-old infant were reported dead in Barangay Tango, along with a 22-year-old.
As of Friday, it was not yet clear whether the three casualties were related to one another, as the information came from a document search by the MDM.
The MDM’s handwritten list noted that there were only 13 processed death certificates. Eight other dead were not yet processed as of Friday.
“Not yet processed” means the family has not claimed the body yet or there is still no death certificate, and thus the information is not to be released.
According to MDM personnel, who asked not to be named as they were not authorized to speak on behalf of the disaster response committee, some of the casualties were scheduled to be buried at the municipal cemetery on Saturday, June 20.
The MDM declined MindaNews’ request for the list of names of those who were officially processed and those already claimed by family, saying they were not expressly authorized to release the identities of the dead.
The MDM recorded 10 males and four females who remained missing as of Friday afternoon, including five minors, two senior citizens, and seven other adults.
Four of the missing persons – three males aged 19, 35, and 67, and a 57-year-old female – are from Barangay Mudan.
Barangay E. Alegado has three missing persons – two males aged 17 and 13, and a 9-year-old girl.
Two persons were reported missing in Ilaya – a 55-year-old man and a 47-year-old woman.
In Kaltuad, the missing persons are a 23-year-old woman and a 13-year-old boy.
A 67-year-old man is missing in Calpidong. Rio del Pilar and New Aklan also reported one missing person each, a 42-year-old man and a 3-year-old boy, respectively.
According to the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO), the earthquake affected 48,020 families across 31 barangays.
Relief operations have distributed 84,844 family food packs through two waves of assistance.
However, some barangays like Baliton remain without a clear field assessment, according to local volunteers.
Rasheed Manong, a student living in Baliton, said there were far-flung areas of the barangay that were isolated. He said areas like Purok Tabgao are four hours away by land.
Baliton can be reached through a major highway, while the trip from the barangay to Tabgao takes at least three hours — but only on “good days.”
The trip has become more difficult and risky after the earthquake as part of the steep road has turned into a ravine, Manong said. Only helicopters could easily access the village.
He said he has had to refuse offers from donors, individuals and groups that responded to his Facebook post asking for help, who wanted to visit the Tabgao.
The MSWDO, for its part, said that the municipal government has assisted far-flung areas with ayuda from government through military helicopters.
But Manong said there were barely any social workers that have done field visits in their area.
Manong has started a small group of volunteers called Bangon Baliton to link up non-government assistance to their village. Help from the local government, he said, has been scarce. (Yas Ocampo/MindaNews)
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