Meralco assists quake-hit Mindanao areas

By Anna Leah Gonzales, Philippine News Agency

QUAKE-HIT. The Malalan Barangay Hall in Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental lies in ruins after sustaining severe damage from the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Southern Mindanao on Monday (June 8, 2026). On Wednesday (June 10), Manila Electric Company (Meralco) announced that it has extended relief assistance to earthquake-affected communities through the One Meralco Foundation. (Contributed photo by Jurel Bayang)

MANILA – Manila Electric Company (Meralco), through One Meralco Foundation (OMF), has mobilized relief assistance for communities affected by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Southern Mindanao.

In a statement on Wednesday, Meralco said OMF had begun distributing food packs, bottled water, drinking water, and solar lanterns to affected residents and institutions in General Santos City, Sarangani, and nearby areas.

Meralco and OMF are also working with local partners to ensure that relief reaches hospitals, evacuation centers, and communities requiring urgent assistance.

Among the initial beneficiaries are hospitals and health facilities serving affected residents, including St. Elizabeth Hospital, Socsargen County Hospital, and other facilities that requested drinking water and other urgent supplies.

Meralco said additional relief assistance is also being prepared for affected coastal communities, including areas in Glan, Sarangani.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Southern Mindanao, especially the families, communities, health workers, emergency responders, and utility personnel affected by this earthquake,” Meralco Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Ronnie Aperocho said.

“In times like this, the spirit of bayanihan even becomes more meaningful. Meralco and One Meralco Foundation will continue to extend assistance to affected communities and support recovery efforts in whatever way we can.”

Meralco also offered power restoration support to South Cotabato II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SOCOTECO II), whose franchise area includes General Santos City and parts of Sarangani and South Cotabato.

“As an expression of solidarity with SOCOTECO II and the communities it serves, Meralco has offered to deploy technical personnel, line crews, and equipment to help accelerate the inspection, repair, and restoration activities,” Aperocho said.

PNP assistance

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has ordered concerned police commanders to focus on providing assistance to communities isolated by the earthquake and on restoring normalcy in other areas, particularly in affected urban centers.

In a separate statement, PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. lauded uniformed personnel who immediately rushed to collapsed buildings and structures to assist injured victims and secure affected areas to prevent post-earthquake incidents that could threaten the lives and safety of civilians.

“Our personnel were already on the streets and communities to extend assistance right after the strong earthquake, despite the serious risks of harm and injury. I express my sincerest gratitude for your sacrifices and sense of duty,” he said.

Nartatez also said police forces have been actively participating in response and rehabilitation efforts in urban areas and town centers, adding that more police personnel and PNP resources are on standby for any disaster response-related deployment.

“We have been maintaining police presence in urban areas and town centers since Day One, and our deployment in these areas will remain until everything normalizes,” he said.

The Office of Civil Defense reported that it is verifying more than 40 fatalities and over 400 injuries resulting from the earthquake.

This article is republished from PNA.