The Philippine Army on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, confirmed the deployment of an Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team composed of 18 specialized personnel to General Santos City, as government agencies intensified search and rescue operations across communities affected by a destructive earthquake and its subsequent aftershocks in Mindanao.
The deployment was announced by Colonel Louie G. Dema-ala, Chief Public Affairs of the Philippine Army, in an official statement released from Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. The announcement details a broad, coordinated military response involving multiple infantry divisions, emergency response units, and mechanized assets positioned across several quake-affected provinces.
18-Member USAR Team Heads to General Santos City
The 18-member Urban Search and Rescue Team was dispatched specifically to General Santos City, which according to the Philippine Army bore the brunt of the infrastructure damage caused by the earthquake. General Santos City, located in Soccsksargen in Region XII, serves as a major urban and economic hub in Mindanao, making the scale of infrastructure damage there a priority concern for disaster response authorities.
The USAR Team's deployment is part of a broader Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) effort that has seen the Philippine Army mobilize personnel and equipment from multiple units. Urban search and rescue operations typically involve the location and extraction of survivors trapped in collapsed or damaged structures, as well as rapid damage assessment in densely populated areas.
10th Infantry Division Surges 200 Personnel Into Affected Zone
Beyond the specialized USAR unit, the 10th Infantry Division (10ID) deployed approximately 200 personnel in General Santos City. These HADR teams are drawn from multiple unit components: one platoon from the 10th Emergency Response Company (10ERC), three platoons of Task Force Gensan, one platoon from the 1002nd Infantry Brigade, and one full company from the 28th Infantry Battalion.
The multi-unit composition of the 10ID deployment reflects the scale and complexity of the response effort, with different platoon-level elements assigned to cover specific sectors and responsibilities within the affected areas. The 10th Emergency Response Company, as a specialized emergency unit, is expected to lead technical rescue operations while infantry units provide support, logistics, and security.
In addition to personnel currently in the field, the Philippine Army reported that approximately 530 personnel from 53 HADR teams under the 10ID are currently on standby alert, ready to be deployed as the situation demands. Standby forces are a critical component of disaster response, ensuring that additional manpower can be surged into affected areas if survivors are located or if conditions worsen.
6th Infantry Division Covers Multiple Provinces in Sarangani and Sultan Kudarat
The 6th Infantry Division (6ID) has deployed 53 personnel from 12 HADR teams drawn from the 105th Infantry Battalion and the 37th Infantry Battalion. Unlike the 10ID's concentration in General Santos City, the 6ID's deployment spans multiple communities across different provinces.
Personnel from the 6ID are operating in General Santos City, as well as in Maitum, Kiamba, and Maasim in the province of Sarangani, and in Lebak in Sultan Kudarat. This multi-municipality coverage underscores the geographic spread of the earthquake's impact, which extends beyond the urban center of General Santos City into neighboring coastal and inland communities.
The 6ID also maintains a significant standby force, with 77 personnel from 9 HADR teams on alert status. Combined with the standby forces from the 10ID, the total number of Philippine Army personnel either deployed or on standby alert for this disaster response operation exceeds 850 individuals.
Dozens of Military Vehicles Positioned Across Quake-Hit Areas
The Philippine Army's response is not limited to personnel alone. The statement from Colonel Dema-ala detailed a substantial motorized component supporting the ground operations. Deployed vehicles currently operating in quake-affected areas include eight KM250 trucks, five KM450 trucks, two mobile patrol vehicles, and three motorcycles.
Beyond those already in the field, the Army has placed an additional 56 military trucks and one patrol car from both the 6ID and 10ID on standby status. These vehicles are essential for transporting relief goods, evacuating displaced civilians, clearing debris, and ferrying personnel and equipment through potentially damaged road networks.
The KM250 and KM450 are military utility trucks widely used by the Armed Forces of the Philippines for logistics and troop movement in both combat and humanitarian operations. Their deployment in significant numbers reflects the logistical demands of operating across multiple affected localities in Mindanao.
Army Coordinates With National Agencies and Local Government Units
According to the Philippine Army's statement, the military is working in close coordination with national government agencies and local government units to ensure a swift and organized response to the disaster. The involvement of multiple layers of governance is standard protocol under the country's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management framework, which places local government units at the forefront of disaster response with national agencies and the military in a support and augmentation role.
This inter-agency coordination is particularly important in a situation involving multiple provinces across different administrative jurisdictions. General Santos City operates as an independent chartered city, while Sarangani Province and Sultan Kudarat Province have their own provincial disaster risk reduction and management offices that must be synchronized with military operations on the ground.
The Philippine Army's statement did not specify the magnitude or exact date of the triggering earthquake, nor did it name the specific national government agencies involved in the joint response. The statement did note, however, that both the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks have contributed to the ongoing damage and displacement in the region.
525th Combat Engineer Battalion Documents Field Operations
Photographs accompanying the Philippine Army's official statement were sourced from the 525th Combat Engineer Battalion (525CEBn). Combat engineer units play a vital role in disaster response operations, as their specialized training in structural assessment, demolition, and construction makes them well-suited to evaluating damaged infrastructure, clearing rubble, and establishing temporary access routes in disaster-affected communities.
The documentation of field operations by the 525CEBn provides visual accountability for the Army's ground-level response activities and supports public information efforts by the Office of the Chief Public Affairs.
Philippine Army Maintains Heightened Alert as Aftershocks Continue
With aftershocks continuing to affect the region following the initial earthquake, the Philippine Army has maintained its heightened operational posture across Mindanao. The combination of deployed personnel actively conducting HADR operations and the large standby forces positioned for rapid deployment indicates that military authorities are prepared for the possibility of further deterioration in conditions or the discovery of additional affected communities requiring assistance.
The scale of the response — involving two full infantry divisions, multiple specialized battalions, over 60 vehicles, and more than 850 personnel either deployed or on standby — reflects the seriousness with which the Philippine Army is treating the humanitarian situation in Mindanao. As of June 9, 2026, operations are ongoing, and further updates from the Philippine Army are expected as the situation develops.
Members of the public with relatives in affected areas in General Santos City, Sarangani, and Sultan Kudarat are advised to monitor official announcements from the Philippine Army, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), and relevant local government units for updated information on evacuation, relief operations, and access to disaster-affected zones.
Photo credit: Photo courtesy of the 525th Combat Engineer Battalion, Philippine Army