BOHOL — An eight-member mental health team from the Bohol Provincial Health Office departed for General Santos City and Sarangani Province on July 4, 2026, carrying a mission to heal invisible wounds. The deployment responds to the catastrophic 7.8‑magnitude earthquake that devastated parts of Mindanao on June 8, leaving survivors gripped by grief, fear, and relentless aftershocks.
Psychological First Aid Reaches Quake Survivors
The PHO Health Emergency Response Team for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (HERT‑MHPSS) will spend a week on the ground providing Psychological First Aid and Psychosocial Support Services. Their work includes individual counseling, group therapy, and stress debriefing sessions tailored to the emotional needs of displaced families.
Team members will also facilitate referrals to specialized clinical services for individuals showing severe trauma symptoms. By embedding themselves within local health facilities and evacuation centers, the team ensures that mental health support reaches those who might otherwise suffer in silence.
Frontline Responders Receive Dedicated Care
Recognizing the psychological toll on disaster responders, the Bohol mission extends its care to health workers and emergency personnel who have been working non‑stop since June 8. The team will deliver dedicated interventions aimed at countering burnout, secondary trauma, and extreme fatigue among those who rushed to save lives.
Nurse Artemia Lison leads the deployment alongside colleagues Jeanine Valerie Borromeo, Fritzie Olaguir, Ma. Felonila Tutor, Van Mirriam Borja, health promotion officer Dan Blyke Bantugan, medical technologist Cleo Movie Loquellano, and psychosocial specialist Edeliza Samuya. Their collective expertise covers nursing, health education, laboratory medicine, and psychosocial program management.
The team will work closely with the Department of Health–Center for Health Development Region XII, local government units, and disaster response clusters. This integrated approach guarantees that mental health services are woven into the broader rehabilitation fabric rather than delivered in isolation.
An Earthquake That Shattered Communities
The June 8 offshore earthquake erupted along the Cotabato Trench, its epicenter just 32 kilometers from Maasim, Sarangani. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recorded destructive ground shaking at PEIS Intensity VII, triggering a 2.5‑meter tsunami that slammed into coastal communities. It stands as the country’s strongest quake since the 1976 Moro Gulf disaster.
As of early July, United Nations humanitarian reports count at least 93 dead, over 1,320 injured, and 20 still missing. Nearly 90,000 residents remain displaced in makeshift shelters, while more than 113,300 homes have been destroyed or damaged. The staggering ₱71‑billion infrastructure toll compounds the psychological burden on families who lost everything.
More than 11,100 aftershocks have rattled the region since the main shock, prolonging a state of fear and disrupting recovery work. The constant trembling has made it difficult for survivors to feel safe even in designated evacuation areas, intensifying the need for sustained psychosocial intervention.
From Rescue Operations to Emotional Rebuilding
Bohol’s mental health deployment marks the second phase of a coordinated humanitarian response. In the immediate aftermath of the quake, Governor Aris Aumentado dispatched the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office search‑and‑rescue team to assist life‑saving operations. The province also approved ₱5 million in direct financial aid, distributing funds to General Santos City, Sarangani, and South Cotabato.
The current mission shifts the focus from physical survival to long‑term emotional recovery. Governor Aumentado had earlier expressed heartfelt solidarity, saying, “We in the Province of Bohol stand firmly with our beloved Mindanawons.” The PHO team will remain in Region XII until July 10, helping communities take their first steps toward healing.
As the country’s only UNESCO Global Geopark, Bohol carries a deep understanding of how natural disasters reshape lives and landscapes. The province’s support for Mindanao underscores a shared belief that rebuilding means restoring not just homes and roads but also hope, dignity, and resilience among people who have endured the unthinkable.
