MAASIM, Sarangani (MindaNews / 10 June 2026) — The magnitude 7.8 earthquake had barely stopped shaking the ground when 63-year-old Monaliza Ugbaniel rushed back to their household on the morning of June 8, having stepped out earlier to take a bath in preparation for work at the Barangay Health Office of Barangay Colon when the shaking began. Amid the confusion and panic, only one thought occupied her mind: her one-year-old grandchild was alone at home near the coast. By the time she reached home, residents were already evacuating after noticing the sea slowly receding — a warning sign many feared could precede a tsunami. Taking no chances, Ugbaniel gathered her family and headed for safety.
Ugbaniel was among hundreds of residents displaced following the powerful earthquake that prompted tsunami concerns across Sarangani Province. In Maasim, families from coastal communities sought refuge in evacuation centers while authorities assessed damage and monitored aftershocks.
“Padulong unta ko maligo sa baybay kay mag-andam pa-duty kay BHW [Barangay Health Worker] man ko. Paglinog, nidagan gyud ko pabalik sa balay kay akong apo ra gyud isa nabilin sa balay.” (I was on my way to take a bath near the shore because I was preparing to go to work. I am a Barangay Health Worker. When the earthquake hit, I immediately ran back to our house because my grandchild was alone at home.) After arriving home, Ugbaniel gathered her family — her 66-year-old husband, her children aged 20 and 18, her one-year-old grandchild, and her 80-year-old father — and made their way to the municipal evacuation center in Poblacion, Maasim. They were the first family to arrive.
A day after the earthquake, Ugbaniel and her family remain in the evacuation center, unwilling to return home as aftershocks continue to unsettle residents across the province. She said, “Dili pa mi safe sa baybay kay perminti man naga-aftershock. Mao gihapon, in case unsay mahitabo, dagan gihapon mi diri.” (We are not yet safe at the coast because of the continuous aftershocks. If we go home and something happens, we will still have to go back here.) Their household, like many others from coastal communities, faces uncertainty as basic services remain disrupted. Electricity in the evacuation center is supplied through generators and is only available during specific hours, while communication services in parts of the municipality have yet to fully recover.
Food assistance is being distributed to evacuees, but Ugbaniel said the provisions are often not enough to sustain families on their own. Rice and eggs are among the supplies being provided, although many evacuees supplement these with their own resources. At times, she said, they choose to let families in greater need receive the available assistance first.
For Ugbaniel, returning home remains out of the question for now. Aside from living near the coast, she worries about the vulnerable members of her family — the very young and the elderly — who accompanied her to the evacuation center. She said they will only consider returning once electricity and communication services are restored and they feel assured that it is safe to do so.
The concerns keeping families inside evacuation centers are reflected in the numbers monitored by local disaster officials. According to Queenie Remando, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Assistant, the municipal evacuation center accommodated 145 households or 508 individuals on the first day of evacuation. The evacuees ranged from infants to senior citizens, some of whom required medical attention.
Communication challenges further complicated response efforts. Remando said that by 3 p.m. on June 8, personnel from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) had to contact local officials directly due to the lack of signal in the area to inform them that the tsunami alert had already been lifted. As of 4 p. m. of June 9, the number of evacuees had decreased to 65 households with around 310 individuals remaining in the center, most of whom either live in coastal communities or have vulnerable family members and remain hesitant to return home.
“Sa totoo lang po, ang primary problem po namin ay ang electricity at ang drinking water,” Remando stated, highlighting the challenge in securing adequate drinking water and electricity. Several non-government organizations have already provided food and water assistance, but Remando said resources remain strained as other evacuation areas across Maasim also require support. “Capable naman po ang ating government to provide enough relief goods, kaya lang marami pa tayong areas na kailangan din i-survey,” she added. Although the municipal government is currently capable of sustaining the evacuees staying in the center, uncertainty remains over how long available resources will be sufficient should displacement continue.
The situation in Maasim reflects a wider challenge facing Sarangani Province. According to Lizette Lopez, Officer-in-Charge Assistant of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), all municipalities in the province were affected by the earthquake based on reports submitted by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office. In response, Governor Rogelio D. Pacquiao deployed PSWDO personnel to assist affected communities throughout the province.
Provincial efforts are currently focused on delivering essential supplies to the municipalities most heavily affected by the disaster, particularly Malapatan and Glan. “As of now, we’re focusing more on the primary needs of our people because we understand that these are the things that sustains them during times of hardships. Kaya nag-focus tayo sa food packs at drinking water para sa ating mga evacuees,” Lopez noted. She also said assessments by the Department of Public Works and Highways found several roads in these areas impassable due to landslides and earthquake-related damage, complicating relief operations.
To reach isolated communities, the Philippine Coast Guard has been transporting aid by sea, while the provincial government has also utilized helicopters to deliver donations and emergency supplies. Beyond food and water, Lopez identified generators and solar panels among the most urgent needs, particularly for evacuation centers and hospitals experiencing prolonged power interruptions.
A day after rushing home to reach her one-year-old grandchild, Ugbaniel remains in the evacuation center with three generations of her family. The sea that sent residents fleeing has long since settled, but she is not yet ready to return. Across Sarangani, others are making the same calculation — whether a house still feels like home when the ground beneath it cannot be trusted. (Ghermaine Marie Micaroz / MindaNews)
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