On 8 June 2026, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck 13 km south of General Santos City, Philippines, causing widespread tremors across Mindanao and parts of the Visayas. The disaster resulted in 145,693 affected individuals and 497 casualties, including 37 confirmed deaths and 456 injuries as of 9 June. Significant infrastructure damage, including disrupted power grids, overloaded cellular networks, and compromised roads and bridges, has so far hindered access to essential services and emergency treatment. Over 1,100 aftershocks have since been recorded, keeping coastal communities and displaced families at high risk.
The earthquake has disproportionately affected women and girls, with over 31,701 individuals forced to shelter in 54 evacuation centres. Overcrowding, reduced privacy, and systemic disruptions have heightened protection risks, including gender-based violence and sexual exploitation. Critical health services are severely strained; damaged facilities have relocated patients to tents, threatening access to skilled birth attendance and emergency obstetric care. Consequently, pregnant women face increased risks of preventable maternal and newborn complications, while adolescent girls have seen their access to safe spaces, psychosocial support, and essential protection services severely compromised.
UNFPA in the Philippines is working closely with the Department of Health, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Office of Civil Defense, and humanitarian partners to help ensure that women, girls, and young people in affected communities continue to have access to sexual and reproductive health services and support for survivors of gender-based violence.
