When the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Mindanao on June 8 pushed up portions of the seabed in Glan, Sarangani Province, it exposed coral reefs and seagrass beds that took centuries to grow — and former senator Cynthia Villar says the country must not let the moment pass with only a report to show for it.
In a June 14 social media post, Villar described the coastal uplift in Glan as a powerful warning. “The DENR is going to make a scientific assessment. Let us make sure it leads to action, not just a report,” she wrote, framing the planned study as a test of whether authorities are willing to act on what the disaster revealed. “The question is whether we are willing to listen, and to act.”
Her remarks followed confirmation by environmental and geological agencies that the quake had dramatically reshaped the coastline. The seabed in Barangay Pangyan rose by approximately two meters and the shoreline extended about 200 meters seaward, exposing wide stretches of reef and seagrass habitat within the Pangyan Marine Sanctuary. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau Region 12 confirmed the measurements through an aerial survey and ground validation conducted on June 11. PHIVOLCS attributed the uplift to movement along the Cotabato Trench, the same fault activity that triggered the quake and raised sections of coastline in both Sarangani and Davao Occidental.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources Soccsksargen said residents first reported the change on June 10, two days after the quake, when sea levels remained unusually low. A team from the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office in Glan surveyed the affected coast and found that the exposed corals, seagrass and resident organisms — including reef fishes, eels, clams and shells — had begun dying after prolonged exposure to air and sunlight. The agency added that nearby residents have raised concerns that the stench of decaying marine life could pose health risks.
The DENR Region 12, headed by Maria Elvira Lumayag, said it will form a composite team with MGB-12 and partner local government units to conduct the scientific study Villar referred to. Authorities have also encouraged the public to report similar incidents of coastal uplift and habitat damage elsewhere in Sarangani Bay.
