The quake’s epicenter was traced near Matanao in the populated province of Davao del Sur, an adjacent town of Padada, which bore the brunt of the quake.

Citing the agency is concerned about the condition of women and children, Cezario Joel Espejo, DSWD-12 regional director, said they mobilized social workers in North Cotabato and Sarangani provinces to monitor the damages as people affected by the destructive earthquake.

“We have enough available non-food and food items ready to be delivered to affected areas at any given time,” Dir. Espejo said, adding they are closely monitoring the situation ion the ground.

Jackie Lao, chief of Disaster Response Management Division, said the agency is coordinating closely with local officials in quake-hit areas for possible augmentation of resources.

She said has a total 10,004 Family Food Packs and Non-Food Items amounting to P18, 294,045.41 in its warehouse in Amas, Kidapawan City.

Since October, Sunday’s earthquake was the third to hit Mindanao. Two quakes measuring 6.6 and 6.5 struck the town of Tulunan within days of each other, leaving thousands of families displaced,

The Philippines sits on the so-called Pacific Rim of Fire, where earthquakes are frequent, some of which are devastating. In July 1990, a 7.7-magnitude temblor stuck the main Luzon island, killing more than 1,600 people, many of them trapped inside a hotel that crumbled in the northern town of Baguio. (JBM / DSWD)