THE MILITARY has deployed additional troops to isolated, hard-to-reach barangays in Davao Occidental as the 10th Infantry Division intensifies its humanitarian and disaster response footprint following the catastrophic magnitude 7.8 earthquake.
Major General Alvin Luzon, Commander of the 10th ID, personally spearheaded a joint aerial Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis on Tuesday, June 9, flying over severely hit communities in Jose Abad Santos and Balut Island, Sarangani, Davao Occidental.
The high-level aerial assessment included top representatives from the Office of Civil Defense, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Davao Occidental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to map out critical relief corridors.
Amid heavily disrupted road networks, the military mobilized air assets to save lives. A Philippine Air Force Black Hawk helicopter successfully executed an emergency air casualty evacuation for four rescued residents on the isolated Balut Island, flying them to mainland medical facilities for urgent treatment.
Major General Luzon emphasized that while Agila troopers are on the ground conducting search and rescue, damage assessment, and route clearing from General Santos City to Davao Occidental, the immediate focus is on breaking through geographic isolation.
“Our priority is the safety and well-being of communities affected by this earthquake,” Luzon said. Through close coordination with government agencies and local government units, we will continue to provide assistance, support ongoing response efforts, and help communities recover from their effects.”
“We have deployed additional Agila Troopers to severely affected barangays in Davao Occidental, particularly in areas where roads remain impassable, to ensure that assistance reaches those who need it most.”
The joint operations come as disaster agencies scramble to deliver aid past the damaged Mabila and Balangonan ports and landslide-choked roads that have cut off coastal towns from standard supply lines.
The 10th ID command assured the public that ground and air assets will remain fully embedded with local government units until search, rescue, and initial recovery phases are complete.
