In October 2019, the province of North Cotabato in Mindanao suffered three unprecedented strong earthquakes within the span of two weeks: a 6.3 magnitude one on October 16, a 6.6 magnitude on October 29, and just two days after on October 31, a 6.5 magnitude. These series of earthquakes resulted in enormous structural damage to homes and buildings, as well as to critical infrastructure that communities depend on such as roads, water supply, and power lines.
The quakes and their aftershocks also affected cities, towns and municipalities outside North Cotabato. In addition, on 15 December 2019 at 2:11 PM, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake jolted the municipality of Matanao, Davao del Sur, which further exacerbated the situation of those already affected by the previous temblor.
Thousands of people sought temporary shelters in designated evacuation centers while others preferred to build tents near their houses. According to United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), there are some 838,000 people living in the area worst affected by all four earthquakes.
