MANILA, Philippines – On June 8, classes in public schools opened a new academic year, but it was immediately disrupted in Mindanao after a powerful earthquake struck off the coast of Sarangani province at 7:37 am, rocking many parts of Mindanao.
At least 46 people died due to the quake, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said in its update on June 13. Davao Region recorded seven deaths, 40 injured, and 22 missing, while Soccskargen counted 39 deaths, 647 injured, and 16 missing.
The NDRRMC also said at least 100,782 families have been affected by the earthquake, according to the latest situational report. At least 1,883 families are still in evacuation centers.
On June 10, the Department of Education reported that at least 1,462 classrooms were destroyed, while 5,840 had either minor or major damage in the aftermath of the tremor, prompting the agency to allocate millions of pesos for school repairs and construction of makeshift classrooms.
Meanwhile, Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) announced devastating news on June 8 as it confirmed the deaths of basketball players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili. Ateneo said Baterbonia, 18, and Adili, 21, drowned during the Blue Eagles’ team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora.
AdMU educators later issued an open letter to Ateneo president Fr. Roberto Yap, calling on school officials and the Blue Eagles coaching staff to address the deaths of basketball players in person and not just through statements.
On June 12, Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin broke his silence as he apologized for the deaths of his players, saying he “failed” as a leader and a friend.
Catch more stories in these photos from the week that was:
Harriet Sperling arrives for her wedding with Princess Anne’s son, Peter Phillips, at All Saints’ Church in Kemble, Cirencester, Britain, on June 6, 2026. PHOTO BY DYLAN MARTINEZ/REUTERS
Pink and Neil Patrick Harris perform during the 79th Annual Tony Awards in New York City on June 7, 2026. PHOTO BY BRENDAN MCDERMID/REUTERS
A protester holds a banner against a luxury resort, a plan by a company linked to Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, on an environmentally sensitive part of the Adriatic coast, in Tirana, Albania, on June 7, 2026. PHOTO BY FLORION GOGA/REUTERS
People rest near a giant screen at a shopping area in Beijing, China, showing news footage of Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attending a welcoming ceremony in Pyongyang, on June 8, 2026. PHOTO BY TINGSHU WANG/REUTERS
Parents and guardians watch over their children from a footbridge on the first day of classes at the President Corazon C. Aquino Elementary School in Quezon City on June 8, 2026. PHOTO BY ELOISA LOPEZ/REUTERS
People look at a collapsed building following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake in General Santos City on June 8, 2026. PHOTO BY NOEL CELIS/REUTERS
Israeli settlers stand next to part of a missile protruding from the ground, following strikes from Iran, in the central Israeli-occupied West Bank, on June 8, 2026. PHOTO BY NAAMA STERN/REUTERS
Books of ‘The Partially Redacted Epstein Files’ are displayed on shelves at the Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room in Washington, DC, on June 9, 2026. The installation features roughly 3.5 million pages of documents released by the Justice Department and aims to visually convey the scope of the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. PHOTO BY ERIC LEE/REUTERS
Congolese medical workers dressed in personal protective equipment carry children tested and cleared off from Ebola from Saint Nicholas orphanage, at the Centre Medical Evangelique within the secured Ebola response zone, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain, in Hoho commune of Bunia town, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, on June 9, 2026. PHOTO BY GRADEL MUYISA/REUTERS
Residents sit on a rooftop checking their phones while another stands inside a home during a blackout as Havana is hit by 20-hour blackouts amid a US blockade that has strangled the island of fuel, in Havana, Cuba, on June 10, 2026. PHOTO BY NORLYS PEREZ/REUTERS
Members of the clergy film with their mobile phones as others hold lamps during the inauguration of the Tower of Jesus Christ and its blessing by Pope Leo XIV at the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia during his apostolic journey in Barcelona, Spain, on June 10, 2026. PHOTO BY NACHO DOCE/REUTERS
Park workers repaint the markers around the Rizal monument and the 150-foot Independence flagpole ahead of the observance of the 128th Philippine Independence Day, at Luneta, on June 10, 2026. PHOTO BY RAPPLER
A giant inflatable caricature of Elon Musk stands in Times Square criticizing Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by xAI, in New York City, on June 11, 2026. PHOTO BY ROSELLE CHEN/REUTERS
Shakira performs during the opening ceremony before the FIFA World Cup Group A match between Mexico and South Africa at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on June 11, 2026. PHOTO BY KAI PFAFFENBACH/REUTERS
Head coach Tab Baldwin, along with members of the Blue Eagles men’s basketball team, attend the candle lighting vigil for Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili at the Zen Hall inside the Ateneo campus on June 11, 2026. PHOTO BY BEA PADOR/THE GUIDON FACEBOOK
A woman reacts as she holds a picture of Thailand’s Princess Bajrakitiyabha, 47, the eldest daughter of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn, following the announcement of her death, outside King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 12, 2026. PHOTO BY ATHIT PERAWONGMETHA/REUTERS
A student holds a poster depicting Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto during a protest against government policies, including state budget spending, fuel price hike, free meals program, and expanded military roles in civilian affairs, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on June 12, 2026. PHOTO BY AJENG DINAR ULFIANA/REUTERS
Protesters scuffle with policemen as they try to remove barricades while marching toward the US Embassy to commemorate the 128th Independence Day in Manila on June 12, 2026. PHOTO BY NOEL CELIS/REUTERS
Drag performer Tara Hoot takes a selfie as workers remove the lettering referencing US President Donald Trump from the facade of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, after a federal judge ordered that President Trump’s name be removed from the building in Washington, DC, on June 12, 2026. PHOTO BY KEN CEDENO/REUTERS
Walter, ‘the oracle orangutan,’ predicts the result of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E match between Germany and Curacao at Dortmund Zoo in Dortmund, Germany, on June 12, 2026. PHOTO BY LEON KUEGELER/REUTERS
– with reports from Reuters/Rappler.com ]]>