A magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck off Maasim, Sarangani on June 8 at about 7:37 a.m. leaves widespread impacts on Mindanao’s public education system and communities, while authorities continue assessments and phased recovery.
DepEd reports that the number of affected schools rises over successive situation updates. Early estimates put exposed schools at 6,224 across five regions, disrupting classes for more than 3.2 million learners and nearly 129,000 education personnel. Later DepEd updates increase the count to 8,642 schools across 43 divisions in six regions in Mindanao, with class disruption affecting 4.9 million learners and 156,282 school personnel.
DepEd damage assessments also quantify classroom and facilities damage. Reports cite thousands of affected classrooms, including cases of minor, major, and destroyed damage, with figures such as 1,159 classrooms damaged and 1,378 schools reporting damage across classroom and water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities. Some schools remain closed beyond the first week, while other areas shift to DepEd’s “Hayo” (Continue) phase once safety checks are completed; selected areas continue under “Hinto” (Stop).
Separately, the DSWD reports more than 430,000 people affected and thousands of damaged houses, reflecting broader displacement and recovery needs that overlap with education disruptions.
