By CESAR JOLITO III

The Negros Occidental provincial government has placed its search and rescue units on standby for possible deployment to Mindanao following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck offshore Sarangani and nearby areas on Monday morning, June 8.

Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the province is ready to send its trained Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue (CSSR) teams once an official request is issued by the Office of Civil Defense and damage assessments are finalized.

“We’re just waiting for the official damage assessment and an augmentation request. Once the request comes in, our rescuers can move immediately,” Lacson said.

Provincial authorities confirmed that CSSR units remain on alert status, ready to assist in rescue and retrieval operations in heavily affected areas.

The teams are equipped with specialized tools such as search cameras, concrete cutters and emergency medical kits, and have previously been deployed to disaster-hit provinces under the national mutual aid system.

Initial data from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology showed that the quake’s epicenter was located about 24 kilometers off Sarangani’s Burias town at 7:37 a.m., with aftershocks continuing throughout the day.

Latest disaster monitoring reports place the death toll at 37, with 479 injured and four still missing.

The earthquake also affected four regions, disrupting 8,642 schools, 4.09 million learners and 156,282 school personnel.

A total of 19,529 families or about 88,000 individuals have been impacted./CCJ, WDJ