Top officials from key government agencies gathered in Mati, Davao Oriental, on Saturday to coordinate the national government’s response and rehabilitation plans following two powerful earthquakes that struck Davao Oriental on 10 October.

The back-to-back tremors—a magnitude 7.4 quake in the morning and a magnitude 6.8 quake on Friday evening—rocked the municipality of Manay and surrounding areas, prompting an immediate mobilization of disaster response efforts.

Presidential Communications Secretary Dave Gomez said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s “paramount concern is the safety and well-being of our people in the earthquake-struck areas.”

“On the instructions of the President, all concerned frontline agencies were tasked to work round the clock to provide rescue and relief operations,” Gomez added.

With this, Cabinet secretaries held an inter-agency coordination meeting organized by the Provincial Government of Davao Oriental at the Subangan Tourism Complex in Mati City.

Concerned government agency heads, including Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon, Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara, and Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Secretary Leo Tereso Magno, met with Governor Nelson Dayanghirang to align relief and rehabilitation strategies across national and local agencies.

During the meeting, provincial officials—including those from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), Provincial Engineer’s Office, Provincial Health Office, and PHIVOLCS—presented damage assessments and updates on ongoing relief operations.

Dayanghirang thanked the national government for its swift response.

“Davao Oriental may have been shaken, but its people remain steadfast and united,” he said.

Meanwhile, Gatchalian reaffirmed the DSWD’s commitment to delivering sustained relief assistance to displaced families, while Dizon assured the immediate deployment of engineers and infrastructure support through the DPWH.

For his part, Angara emphasized ensuring the safety of students and teachers, with classroom assessments and learning continuity plans underway. Meanwhile, Secretary Magno of MinDA underscored the importance of long-term recovery and building community resilience in Mindanao.

The officials agreed to intensified coordination among national and local agencies, push further capacity-building for responders and frontline workers, and accelerate rehabilitation of damaged roads, schools, and other vital infrastructure.

Doublet earthquakes

The first quake struck at 9:43 a.m. Friday, with its epicenter located approximately 43 kilometers east of Manay. That evening, at 7:12 p.m., a second, separate quake with a magnitude of 6.8 was recorded in the same offshore area.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the two events were classified as a “doublet earthquake”—closely timed, similarly powerful quakes in the same vicinity, rather than a mainshock-aftershock sequence.

As of Saturday afternoon, damage assessments and relief operations are ongoing, while aftershocks continue to be felt in parts of Davao Oriental and neighboring provinces.

The public is advised to remain vigilant and follow official safety advisories from PHIVOLCS and local authorities.