Philippines quake drills save lives as 7.8 magnitude tremor hits south

A 7.8‑magnitude offshore earthquake struck off Sarangani province in the southern Philippines on Monday, killing 55 people, leaving 31 missing, injuring about 1,120 and displacing more than 45,000 residents, half of whom remain in emergency shelters. The tremor damaged over 12,600 homes across farming towns and cities and caused strong aftershocks that kept many residents from returning to their houses.

Philippine officials said that years of disaster‑preparedness drills helped limit the casualty toll. Teachers instructed students to stay seated during the shaking, and school disaster‑response teams were activated, preventing deadly stampedes. Director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology Teresito Bacolcol noted, “It’s good that our efforts to educate people on what to do when earthquakes hit somehow paid off.” The Office of Civil Defense also highlighted regular drills that taught principals incident‑management skills. Authorities expressed concern that some collapsed structures should have withstood the quake if building‑code standards had been followed.