THE Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) has placed its disaster response units on standby to augment local government rescue operations following the recent floods and landslides that struck parts of Mindanao, while continuing its humanitarian and rehabilitation missions in communities still recovering from the devastating June earthquake.
Eastmincom spokesperson Col. Ma. Cristina Manuel said Eastern Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Adonis Ariel G. Orio immediately directed disaster response units under Joint Task Force Diamond, Joint Task Force Agila, and Joint Task Force Sinaya to prepare for possible deployment after severe weather triggered widespread flooding and landslides beginning July 10.
"Our local disaster response units from the cities and municipalities are actively responding, and the available assets from Eastmincom units are on standby for whatever request or assistance is needed. This is actually a very good development on the part of our local disaster response units. Nakita nato ilahang capabilities and resilience mismo sa mga komunidad (We have seen their capabilities and resilience in responding directly within their communities)," Manuel said during a press conference early this week.
She said Eastmincom's Search, Rescue and Retrieval (SRR) teams remain on heightened alert and are ready to reinforce local responders, particularly in flood- and landslide-hit communities and in areas still dealing with the aftermath of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Mindanao in June.
Manuel added that the command's Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) teams stationed in Sarangani Province have likewise been placed on standby while maintaining close coordination with municipal and provincial disaster risk reduction and management offices to ensure immediate response should additional assistance be required.
Aside from supporting ongoing weather-related operations, Eastmincom continues its rehabilitation efforts in earthquake-affected areas. The military has maintained 17 search-and-rescue teams composed of 221 personnel, backed by seven air assets and seven naval assets to sustain relief and recovery operations across affected provinces.
Since humanitarian operations began, Eastmincom has transported around 37,250 food packs and approximately 745.63 metric tons of food packs and assorted relief supplies using military air and land assets in coordination with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), local government units, and disaster management offices.
The military said it remains ready to deploy additional personnel, equipment, and logistical support whenever requested by local governments to strengthen ongoing humanitarian and disaster response efforts.
The heightened military preparedness comes as Mindanao continues to grapple with the combined impacts of recent severe weather and the lingering effects of the June 8 magnitude 7.8 earthquake.
As of July 16, authorities in Davao Occidental reported that the flash flood in Barangay Tanuman Big, Jose Abad Santos had left 11 casualties — with five confirmed dead, five still missing, and one injured — following updated accounting under the Department of the Interior and Local Government's Management of the Dead and Missing guidelines. Meanwhile, humanitarian operations continue across the broader earthquake-hit areas of Mindanao, where government and international agencies have been assisting affected communities.
The latest government data cited by the United Nations showed that the June earthquake affected nearly 1.7 million people, claimed 81 lives, injured more than 1,300 individuals, left 31 people missing, and displaced around 90,000 residents, underscoring the continuing need for sustained relief, rehabilitation, and disaster preparedness across Eastern Mindanao. DEF
