Quake-hit Davao Occidental shuts tourism sites

Disaster response teams from the 73rd Infantry Battalion and other units load boxes of food packs onto a Philippine Air Force Black Hawk helicopter on June 14, 2026. The operation at the capitol grounds in Lais, Malita, Davao Occidental transported relief supplies to Barangay Molmol, Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental. Photo courtesy of 10th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office

DAVAO CITY—The provincial government of Davao Occidental has suspended tourism activities across the earthquake-stricken province starting Wednesday and until further notice.

Gov. Franklin Bautista tasked the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), along with concerned national and local agencies, to conduct assessments to determine whether conditions are safe for the resumption of tourism activities and operations.

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READ: Mindanao quake death toll climbs to 78; 1.5 million affected

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Bautista ordered that tourism sites, attractions, and destinations—including beach resorts, dive sites, mountain trails and peaks, as well as tourism facilities and establishments identified as potentially hazardous—remain closed pending inspection.

He added that these sites may only reopen after undergoing rigorous assessments and obtaining clearances from the relevant authorities.

All tourism-related events organized or scheduled to be held in the province have likewise been ordered postponed or canceled.

Potential hazards

In his order, Bautista said there is a need to temporarily suspend such activities and events “to prevent exposure to potential hazards arising from aftershocks, structural damage, geological risks and other disaster-related threats.”

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In Glan, Sarangani, responders on Thursday recovered the body of landslide victim Wilbert Novio, 27, of Barangay Congan after days of search operations by the Bureau of Fire Protection and the Philippine Coast Guard.

Novio was tending his goat on a hillside when the magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on June 8. Neighbors recalled that he managed to shout, “Dagan mo!” (Run) before being buried by the landslide.

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His body, believed to have been buried 4.5 meters to 6 meters deep, was recovered through a combination of heavy equipment operations and manual digging by rescuers.

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