A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off Maasim, Sarangani, at 7:37 a.m. on Monday, June 8, 2026, damaging 8,642 schools and disrupting education for 4.9 million learners and 156,282 personnel across six Mindanao regions, according to Department of Education (DepEd) data.
How many schools and students were affected by the earthquake?
DepEd reported that the earthquake hit 43 divisions across the Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, Caraga Region, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The damage occurred just as the school year was set to begin for thousands of students.
Why is school infrastructure risk a significant concern?
Dr. Alicor Panao, an associate professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman and a data scientist for the Inquirer, stated that these disruptions are part of a “measurable pattern of infrastructure vulnerability” rather than isolated incidents. Data from the Global Infrastructure Risk Model and Resilience Index, published by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, indicates that schools in the Philippines face approximately US$299.6 million in annual expected earthquake losses.
This figure places education as the second most exposed sector in the country, following buildings, which face US$1.55 billion in expected losses. According to Panao, the scale of risk to schools is structurally significant when compared to other critical systems:
- Power: US$164.2 million in expected losses
- Roads and railways: US$95.4 million in expected losses
- Telecommunications: US$75.1 million in expected losses
- Water systems: US$38.1 million in expected losses
Panao noted that schools alone account for nearly double the expected earthquake losses of the entire power sector and more than three times the losses seen in telecommunications infrastructure.
What are the long-term impacts of educational disruption?
Damage to school facilities carries consequences that differ from other types of infrastructure. Panao explained that each disrupted classroom results in lost instructional time and compressed learning. Because schools generate human capital, the resulting setbacks may be difficult to recover and cannot be fully offset by simple reconstruction.
Furthermore, Panao suggested that indirect economic losses from these disruptions could exceed direct physical damage multiple times over. This is because learning losses often translate into reduced attainment and fewer opportunities for students.
What may happen next?
The scale of the damage to 8,642 schools could lead to prolonged disruptions in instructional time for millions of students. Analysts suggest that the cumulative setbacks from compressed learning may require significant long-term recovery efforts. Additionally, the high level of expected annual losses in the education sector may necessitate a focus on structural vulnerability to mitigate future economic and human capital impacts.
