Abu Dhabi has joined the international response to the disaster in the southern Philippines, with UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan personally reaching out to Manila in the aftermath of Monday’s powerful earthquake.
In a message addressed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Emirati head of state conveyed his sympathy to the families who lost loved ones and voiced hope for the recovery of those left hurt by the tremor. The UAE’s official news agency WAM carried the message on Tuesday, describing it as condolences “to President Ferdinand Marcos of the Republic of the Philippines over the victims of the earthquake that struck southern Philippines, resulting in a number of deaths and injuries.”
The gesture followed an earlier expression of support from the UAE government. According to WAM, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had a day prior extended its solidarity to the Philippine government and people, offering its “sincere condolences and heartfelt sympathy” to the bereaved and wishing the injured a swift return to health.
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off Maasim in Sarangani province at 7:37 a.m. on Monday, June 8, ranking among the most violent to hit the region in recent memory. Tremors radiated across large stretches of Mindanao and were felt as far as Manado on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, more than 400 kilometres away, while the event prompted tsunami warnings across several countries.
Casualty counts have continued to shift as response teams reach affected communities. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported the death toll had reached 45 in its situational update issued Tuesday evening, with deaths concentrated in the Soccsksargen and Davao regions; the Inquirer reported the council’s earlier daytime figure at 37 dead and 479 injured. Authorities have stressed that all numbers remain subject to verification as assessments proceed.
General Santos City, among the worst-hit areas, was placed under a state of calamity after the quake damaged structures, bridges and roads. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has logged thousands of aftershocks since Monday, keeping displaced residents in evacuation centres and temporary tents.
President Marcos has directed national agencies to mobilise for the response, with the Office of Civil Defence and disaster council overseeing operations on the ground and the Department of Social Welfare and Development pre-positioning relief supplies. The Department of Budget and Management has said Quick Response Fund resources within the 2026 national budget are available for immediate deployment.
Situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a horseshoe of seismic activity encircling the ocean, the Philippines regularly contends with earthquakes and volcanic activity. The country also weathers roughly 20 typhoons and tropical storms in a typical year, placing it among the most disaster-exposed nations anywhere.
