The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said it is keeping its services running for overseas Filipino workers whose families are in the areas of Mindanao struck by a powerful earthquake.
In a statement, the agency said any affected family needing urgent assistance may call the 24/7 DMW-OWWA Hotline 1348 or visit the nearest DMW and OWWA regional office. The department directed its message at Filipinos abroad who are anxious about the welfare of relatives back home, assuring them that the government is closely watching over the safety of their loved ones.
According to the DMW, monitoring efforts were ramped up alongside the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to locate and reach OFWs and their dependents in the hardest-hit communities. The agency tied the move to an instruction from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
Among the practical concerns the DMW flagged are the flight disruptions tied to General Santos City’s airport, which it said it is prepared to help OFWs navigate, on top of other services for the families of migrant workers thrown into difficulty by the disaster. The earthquake forced the temporary shutdown of General Santos International Airport, a key southern Mindanao gateway, and grounded air travel through the city. Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific grounded all services to and from General Santos, with both carriers extending cancellations through 11 June. The airport later reopened on a limited basis for government, military, and humanitarian flights.
The DMW closed its statement with a message of sympathy, saying it is praying for the safety and swift recovery of every Filipino in Mindanao who lived through the tremor.
The magnitude 7.8 quake hit off Maasim, Sarangani, on the morning of June 8, 2026. The quake hit at 7:37 a.m. local time, shortly before the start of the first day of school, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS). On the PHIVOLCS earthquake intensity scale, a maximum intensity of VII (Destructive) was instrumentally recorded at General Santos, where collapsed structures and damaged buildings were reported across the city.
